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The Wound-Dresser

English

Synopsis

A setting of a fragment from Walt Whitman's 1865 poem of the same name, which describes the poet's experiences nursing wounded soldiers in a Civil War hospital. The text is notable for its homoerotic undertones and for presenting a male nurse figure at a time when nursing was a female-dominated profession

Composer

John Adams

Lyricist / Librettist / Playwright

Walt Whitman

Year of composition/publication / premiere

1989

Genre

Song cycle

LGBTQAI+ category

Gay

Level of centrality

Main character

Characters

Not applicable (the piece is a first-person narrative)

Voice type

Baritone

Pronouns

he/him

Publisher / Rights holder

Boosey & Hawkes (Hendon Music)

Where to buy / access the work

Performance materials are available for rental from Boosey & Hawkes. The original cast recording is available via Nonesuch Records.

Performance rights

For performance rights, please contact the composer and/or publisher to ensure legal compliance.