Cat No. JM47951
Price £176.00
Composer: Eric Whitacre
Category: BIGGIES - Grade 4.5

Grade 4.5
Duration 7.28

Commissioned for the 2002 Indiana All-State Band, Cloudburst is an adaptation of Whitacre's acclaimed choral work of the same name. Lush and luminescent, Cloudburst combines hand bells, thunder sheets and the audience (snapping their fingers), transforming the entire theater into a magnificent thunderstorm. A profoundly moving work for musicians and audience.

PROGRAM NOTES FOR CLOUDBURST :

Cloudburst was my second classical work, originally written for chorus in the fall of 1991; it was inspired by an astonishing thunderstorm I witnessed earlier that Spring while on tour in Northern California.

In the fall of 2001 the Indiana All State commissioned me to write an original work for their top festival band, and I convinced them to let me adapt Cloudburst for symphonic winds. The way this new orchestration has transformed the piece is simply amazing to me: I distinctly remember being at the first rehearsal and just being completely speechless. Where the choral version is intimate and delicate, the version for winds is strong and assured, and to my ears it sounds like it’s suddenly in technicolor.., on a 50 foot screen.

Cloudburst was premiered on March 16th, 2002, at the Indiana All-State Festival, with yours truly at the helm of that magnificent band. It is lovingly dedicated to my dear friend and mentor, Dr. Jocelyn Kaye Jensen.

PERFORMANCE NOTES
The singing parts look a little daunting, but really it is simply a major chord with half of the singers sliding down a half or a whole step. All of the singing parts should be divided equally among the players (balancing the clusters as best as possible), and it is essential that the notes be sung in the correct octave. The words they are singing and whispering, “la iluvia” (pronounced la YOU-veeah), simply mean ‘the rain’ in Spanish.
All notes in boxes should be slurred, and played over and over at individual tempos.
As for the Cloudburst, it is the easiest part of all. Prepare the audience ahead of time, simply letting them know that there will be an element of audience participation towards the end of the piece. (Don’t tell them what it is, as it spoils the surprise). Immediately after the ff downbeat at rehearsal letter J, turn to the audience, raise your hands, and start snapping your fingers. The entire audience will follow you (trust me), and then you are free to turn back to the band.
At rehearsal letter I, you may use handbells, tone chimes, or in the absence of both, the piano cue. Place the handbell players anywhere in the hall: I have seen lofts, balconies, even players hidden throughout the auditorium used to great effect.
And, if you have the extra players and equipment, you may place a bass drum in the hall as well, accompanied by a second thunder sheet. The snapping fingers from the audience and players, as well as the bass drum ‘thunder’ should continue for a short time after the final chord is sounded; the effect should be that of a magnificent thunderstorm disappearing into the distance.

ABOUT THE COMPOSER
An accomplished composer, conductor and clinician, Eric Whitacre is one of the bright stars in contemporary concert music. Regularly commissioned and published, Whitacre has received composition awards from ASCAP, the Barlow International Composition Competition, the American Choral Directors Association, the American Composers Forum, and this spring was honored with his first Grammy nomination (contemporary classical crossover).
Born in 1970, Whitacre has already achieved substantial critical and popular acclaim. Godzilla Eats Las Vegas, a wild theatrical piece for wind symphony, has taken the classical world by storm and was most recently performed by the United States Marine Band (The President’s Own) on the steps of the Capitol. Ghost Train, his first instrumental work written at the age of 23, is a genuine phenomenon; it has received thousands of performances in over 50 countries and has been featured on over 20 different recordings. In addition to composing, Eric has begun a successful career as a conductor, and has made appearances as guest conductor in Japan, Singapore, Europe, and throughout the United States. He received his M.M. in composition from the Juilliard School of Music, where he studied composition with John Corigliano.

INSTRUMENTATION
SCORE1
PICCOLO
FLUTE 1 & 2
OBOE 1 & 2
Bb CLARINET 1
Bb CLARINET 2
Bb CLARINET 3
BASS CLARINET
BASSOON 1 & 2
Eb ALTO SAXOPHONE 1 & 2
Bb TENOR SAXOPHONE
Eb BARITONE SAXOPHONE
Bb TRUMPET 1
Bb TRUMPET 2
Bb TRUMPET 3
F HORN 1 & 2
F HORN 3 & 4
TROMBONE 1 & 2
BASS TROMBONE
BARITONE
TUBA 1 & 2
HANDBELLS
TIMPANI
PERCUSSION 1
PERCUSSION 2
PERCUSSION 3
PERCUSSION 4
PIANO

ALSO AVAILABLE FROM ERIC WHITACRE
Music for Symphonic Winds:
Ghost Train
Godzilla Eats Las Vegas
Equus
October
Noisy Wheels of Joy