Lux Aurumque facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lux Aurumque |
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| by Eric Whitacre | |
The composer conducting, in 2007
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| Key | C♯ minor |
| Genre | choral composition |
| Text | Translation of the poem "Light and Gold", by Edward Esch |
| Language | Latin |
| Composed | 2000 |
| Scoring | 8-part mixed choir a cappella |
Lux Aurumque (which means "Light and Gold") is a beautiful piece of music for a choir. It was written by a famous composer named Eric Whitacre. This song is often performed around Christmas because it's based on a Latin poem about light and angels singing to a new baby.
Eric Whitacre wrote the original version for a mixed choir in 2000. This means it's sung without any instruments, which is called a cappella. Later, in 2005, he made another version for a wind ensemble. The choral version became very well-known thanks to Whitacre's special online project called Virtual Choir in 2009. The song usually takes about four minutes to perform.
Contents
How Lux Aurumque Was Created
The Poem That Inspired the Music
The idea for Lux Aurumque came from a short English poem called "Light and Gold." This poem starts with the word "Light" and ends with "angels sing softly to the new-born babe."
A writer named Charles Anthony Silvestri helped Eric Whitacre. He changed the English poem into Latin. Silvestri tried to make the Latin words sound beautiful and easy to sing.
The poem is said to be written by Edward Esch. Eric Whitacre described Esch as a very private person who rarely appeared in public. Some people even think that "Edward Esch" might be a made-up name for Eric Whitacre himself, especially since Whitacre's son is named Esch Edward.
When and Where It Was First Heard
Eric Whitacre wrote Lux Aurumque in 2000. It was asked for by a group called the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay. He dedicated the piece to Jo-Michael Scheibe. The music was then published in 2001 by Walton Music.
In 2005, Whitacre changed the song for a wind band. This version was first played at a big music conference in Texas. He also made a version for a men's choir.
The Famous Virtual Choir Project
The version of Lux Aurumque for mixed choir became very popular through Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir project. In this project, singers from all over the world record themselves singing their parts. Then, these individual videos are put together to create one big virtual performance.
When the first Virtual Choir video for Lux Aurumque was uploaded in 2011, it caused a huge stir online. It showed 185 singers from 12 different countries singing together. By December 2021, this video had been watched over 6.7 million times on YouTube!
About the Music
How the Song Sounds
Lux Aurumque has 48 measures and is written in the key of C♯ minor. It is meant to be played Adagio, which means slowly, and Molto legato, meaning very smoothly.
The song is written for a mixed choir, which includes Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass voices. Most of the time, each of these parts is divided into two. There's also a short solo part for a soprano singer.
Eric Whitacre has said that if the different voices are carefully tuned and balanced, the music will "shimmer and glow." Unlike some of his other works, Lux Aurumque is often sung in church services, especially during Christmas. People describe Whitacre's music as soft, full of harmony, and very melodic. It also uses interesting rhythms and sound mixes to create a rich musical texture.
Images for kids
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The composer conducting, in 2007
See also
