Eric Clapton, "Tears in Heaven"

This is perhaps Eric Clapton greatest composition ever. It displays all of the great artistry of this blues legend. I wanted to keep sections of the original intact as well as introducing the classical transcription and I have come up with this very beautiful rendition of the work. It is a World premiere I am proud to offer to my students. Clapton dedicated "Tears in Heaven" to his son who died tragically a few years back. Having gone through that same Cross myself, I could not resist the tremendous urge to transcribe this piece. I have sang it for years but had never made a classical version of it and I am glad that the time has finally come.

"Tears in Heaven" was used in the 1991 film "Rush". The song was written about the pain and loss Clapton felt following the death of his four-year-old son, Conor who fell from a window of a 53rd-floor New York apartment building on March 20, 1991. Clapton arrived at the apartment shortly after the accident."Tears in Heaven" is one of Clapton's most successful songs, as it reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the U.S. 

These 3 notes that make up the intro and the repeating "reef" in Tears in Heaven are the signature of genius. It is the spark around which the fire of the whole work develops. It is the equivalent of Beethoven's 4 notes opening in the 5th Symphony. Although they are totally different types of works, they share one common thread: the same type of talent, focus and dedication. I transcribed all the main themes and you can make the work longer or shorter depending on the performance you have in mind. When you come to this main theme, you decide whether to play one more round or whether you want to finish the work.