Walt Whitman has a new music archive.
Learn more about it in this short film, debuted during a Zoom discussion last night, presented in cooperation with the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association in Huntington Station, New York.
Filmmaker H. Paul Moon and composer Daron Hagen talked about Whitman’s far-reaching influence on composers, of course (Whitman is the second most-set of all American poets, behind only Emily Dickinson), but also the profound influence on Whitman of opera and song.
In addition, music archivist George Mallis provided an overview of the collection, sharing some the scores, recordings, and photographs that have so far been compiled. The project builds on the work of Whitman enthusiast and musician, Fredrick Berndt, one-time director of San Francisco’s Walt Whitman Music Library.
The entire film spans 12 minutes. Absolutely stick around for Moon’s one-shot documentation, beginning at minute 4, of the world premiere of Hagen’s Whitman setting, “Restoring Darkness,” in a stunning a cappella performance by composer-collaborator Gilda Lyons. The location is Church of the Messiah in Rhinebeck, New York.
Watch here:
“Is there a more musical American poet than Whitman?” Hagen asks. You tell me. So far, roughly 500 songs and orchestral works have been identified.
More about Whitman and music from the archive.
Zen Violence Films
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