Eric Whitacre: Goodnight Moon: Vocal And Piano

From the composer Eric Whitacre: Over the past six years I must have read Goodnight Moon to my son a thousand times, maybe more. Somewhere around reading number 500 I began hearing little musical fragments as I read, and over time those fragments began to blossom into a simple, sweet lullaby. I knew it was a long shot, but we contacted the publisher to see if they would allow the text to be set to music. To my surprise and delight they agreed - the first time they had ever allowed Goodnight Moon to be used in such a way. I composed the piece relatively quickly, setting the text for harp, string orchestra, and my son's mother, soprano Hila Plitmann. It has become one of my son's favourite songs; now Hila sings it to him before bed nearly every night. This arrangement is for high voice and piano accompaniment.