The winner of three Grammys, Higdon speaks:
Larks means any number of singing birds. Exaltation refers to the act of exalting; the state of being exalted; an excessively intensified sense of well-being, power, importance, an increase in degree or intensity.
The first time someone told me that a collection of larks is called an “exaltation”, I immediately thought, “What a sound an exaltation of larks must make!” This prompted my imagination to run wild in a composerly-fashion, thinking of thousands of birds flying and singing wildly, with extraordinary energy and intensity. Not to mention the wonderful play on words that is implied with “exaltation”. How to capture the beauty of the idea of exalting and singing? A string quartet seemed perfect!
