ABSTRACT
In 1981 the 100th anniversary of Walt Whitman's completion of what would be the definitive edition of the Leaves of Grass, poetry and essays by eighty writers addressing his work appeared in the collection Walt Whitman: the measure of his Song. Whitman's poetry had a considerable role in the course of American, British, and European musical composition; it has been set to music more than the work of any other American poet, prompting over one thousand compositions. George Crumb, who is drawn to both American and world music, gravitates toward poetry that contemplates the marriage of life and death and their cosmic significance. Apparition, through its unusual musical textures and rhythms, stresses Whitman's archetypal imagery. The piano is amplified, enhancing the duration of its overtones. Both Whitman and Sessions address the social and political ramifications of Lincoln's death within the context of American democracy.
