The poetry of the “Bard of Democracy,” as America came to call our great poet Walt Whitman, is filled with music--melodic phrases, lyrical imagery, cadences that build and reverberate. Composers around the world have responded to Whitman’s vast canon of poems, giving us settings that number 1,200 (and counting).
Composers who set Whitman 's TEXTS
(entered to date)
- Ives -- Charles Ives
- Tilson Thomas -- Michael Tilson Thomas
- Dalmas -- Philip Dalmas
- Carter -- Elliott Carter
- Busby -- Gerald Busby
- Strassburg -- Robert Strassburg
- Weill -- Kurt Weill
- Hagen -- Daron Aric Hagen
- Cipullo -- Tom Cipullo
- Rogers -- James H. Rogers
- Bernstein -- Leonard Bernstein
- Sargon -- Simon Sargon
- Thomas -- Richard Pearson Thomas
- Bolcom -- William Bolcom
- Campbell-Tipton -- Louis Campbell-Tipton
- Berg -- Christopher Berg
- Leisner -- David Leisner
- Schwabe -- Jonathan Clarke Schwabe
- Bacon -- Ernst Bacon
- Rorem -- Ned Rorem
- Burleigh -- Henry Burleigh
- Warren -- Elinor Remick Warren
- Naginski -- Charles Naginski
- Neidlinger -- William Harold Neidlinger
- Ritter -- Frédéric Louis Ritter
- Harbison -- John Harbison
- Blitzstein -- Marc Blitzstein
- Walker -- George Walker
- Block -- Caryn Block
- Hoiby -- Lee Hoiby
