A project I wish I'd participated in....

[songquake]

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir 2.0



Though...While I think this is pretty cool to watch, I have to say that I'd participate in his next virtual choir just to say I'd done it. The idea of singing a choral work alone in my room, of not singing it in a room with the rest of a choir... I dunno. It seems wrong to me.

Then again, I haven't listened to Whitacre's TED Talk yet. My guess is he addresses concerns like that. You know, rather than just talking about the idea and the technology involved.

Or at least I hope so. I can't imagine a choral composer (and yes, I know he composes instrumental/chamber works, too; I do follow his Twitter feed) not understanding the lovely organism that is a choir. The Virtual Choir seems somewhat like a Frankenstein being to me.

Comments

[songquake.livejournal.com]

*nods* Well, both "Sleep" and "Lux Aurumque" (the piece he used for Virtual Choir 1.0) are pieces that were published at least several years ago, so it should be easy to get copies of them from a lot of university/college choirs. Or music libraries.

Still, I find it weird. It triggers some anxiety, oddly—maybe that something as spiritual as creating a piece of choral music can be divided into such isolated parts, manipulated, etc. Because, especially in "Sleep," some of that has to be electronically manipulated: the balance, the very, very quietness at the end (which actually seems near impossible vocally—I think it can only be created by digitally "fading out" the sound). How far is it from a choir that uses auto-tuning?

And where is the spirituality of it? Is quality lost or gained when the pieces are atomized like that? Is the experience as transcendent for anyone?

Just thoughts. It's been sort of picking at my psyche since I first heard "Sleep"; that it was done with so many people and that it seems to be Whitacre's new favorite thing both sit poorly.