Four Lincoln
Vanessa McClintock
Hush'd Be the Camps To-Day
O Captain! My Captain!
When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd
This Dust Was Once the Man
(Use the "Back" button to return to the score,
or click on the title in each section)
This is the first of what would become a set of four poems lamenting and praising the death and the life of the 16th president of the United States of America. There are many that consider it hastily written and not of the quality associated with the poet. Some even cite inaccuracies in the text. No matter, this is a very poignant poem that sets the tone for the set and, in this composer’s opinion, much underrated and undervalued.
Considered the most popular of Whitman’s poet’s during his lifetime, this poem was first published in November 1865. It is considered untypical of his style due to his musical flow and rhyming, which might account for its popularity at the time; for these same reasons it has lost favour—to some—in the 20th century. Such is the fickle nature of a segment of some populations. Nevertheless, it has not lost its draw with new readers. Interestingly, none of the poems in this set specifically mention Lincoln.
When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd
This very long poem was written in the summer of 1865, after the first two in this set. This version is an abridgement and adaptation made by the composer in her efforts to make it manageable. Its length is just over 10 minutes, but were the entire poem set to music, it likely would be close to 90 minutes. Hopefully, this version is faithful to the intent of the original. There is much imagery of nature and the rural countryside, especially as the train carrying the casket of President Lincoln travels to it resting place in Springfield, Illinois.
This final poem in this set of four was not written until 1871—six years after the previous one. It is succinct and is like the power of the oak tree residing in the acorn. I think I was more moved by this than I was by the others. It strikes a chord of finality, of final cadence within me.