well. i am a poet and i have never ever liked walt whitman’s poetry. frankly, i’ve tried a number of times to read his work but i just felt bored by it. too wordy, long winded, meandering, prose-y. it has never spoken to me.

but of course he’s one of the great American poets and introduced a whole new way of writing poetry.

he wrote about his experience with the civil war, which is likely why i didn’t like him either. war upsets me. sigh…

anyway. i’ve sung several pieces with the chorus over the years, in which text from Whitman was set to music. one was the Sea Symphony

the other was by Persis Vehar

while i enjoyed singing the sea symphony and it made me feel something for the members of my family who died long before i was born in a shipwreck off of Scotland, i still didn’t like Whitman.

well. we are recording a piece called Passage to Spirit, by Randol Bass (who i mention in a post below). yesterday morning, while rehearsing, it came together for me. i understood the beauty in Whitman’s words. i know i sound super dramatic but i came out of that rehearsal finally understanding the impact and magnitude of Whitman’s work.

this man has taken Whitman’s words and interpreted them through the music in a way that brings them to life in the present moment. i can’t fully explain what i mean, but the musical passages and nuances he chose for the words match them perfectly. as though he worked with Whitman to achieve this. as though they collaborated together on it.

it was amazing. like an epiphany. i called my friend Matt in Chicago as soon as i left the rehearsal to talk to him about it. i knew he’d understand, being a professional singer.

it’s like this little secret i have now, inside me. i love Walt Whitman now

thank you Mr. Bass.