Around January 25, 2011, Eric Whitacre began working with legendary film composer Hans Zimmer on the music for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Whitacre co-composed the "Mermaid Theme" with Zimmer as well as conducting some of the choral sessions at Abbey Road Studios. His wife, Hila Plitmann, sang the solo material in the theme, having also invented the language the mermaids were singing in the film, a combination of Latin, Hebrew, and as she says, 'Elvish.' Geek. Whitacre enjoyed working with Zimmer, saying that he was a brilliant composer and a generous collaborator.