The Question

THE QUESTION for SATB choir and piano

Lyrics by

WALT WHITMAN Music by

MATTHEW KENNEDY

To purchase this or other performance materials visit www.kennedycomposer.com

Copyright © 2020 ECHO GROVE PUBLISHING All Rights Reserved.

Printed in U.S.A. |

THE QUESTION for SATB choir and piano

Lyrics by

WALT WHITMAN Music by

MATTHEW KENNEDY (ASCAP)

echo grove publishing

“O Me! O Life!” from Leaves of Grass (1881-82 ed.)

by Walt Whitman (1819-1892) Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring, Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish, Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)

Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d, Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me, Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined, The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?

Answer.

That you are here—that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.

ABOUT THE COMPOSER – MATTHEW KENNEDY (b. 1987) The music of composer Matthew Kennedy contains disarming simplicity, often seeking out dark places with an uninhibited wonder and spirit of exploration. His work has been performed on five continents and received critical acclaim including honors and commissions from ASCAP, BMI, Opera on Tap, Boston Musica Viva, Hartford Opera Theater, bassist Robert Black, Dynamic Music Festival at NYU, as well as residencies at Marble House Project (VT), Atlantic Center for the Arts (FL), The Hambidge Center (GA), Crosshatch Center for Art and Ecology (MI), The Horned Dorset Artist Colony (NY), and the Mayapple Center for the Arts and Humanities (CT).

Recent activities include performances and lecture presentations at New Music Gathering (Bowling Green State University and Boston Conservatory), Constantinides New Music Ensemble (LSU), Florida Flute Association, Northwestern University New Music Conference, Fresh Inc. Festival, Tampa Homegrown Concert Series, and the North American Saxophone Alliance International Conference. His instrumental works are published through Just a Theory Press and his choral and voice works are self-published through Echo Grove Publishing. Recently his Theme + 4 Brief Variants (2009, rev. 2015) was selected for publication in NewMusicShelf’s Anthology of New Music: Solo Piano Vol. 1. Recordings of his work have been published by Parma Recordings, Soundset Recordings, and Ink & Coda Journal. Matthew has taught composition and theory at University of South Florida and The Hartt School. He currently resides in Tampa, FL with his wife, studio artist Erin Kennedy, and three children.

To find out more about the work of Matthew Kennedy visit kennedycomposer.com

To purchase this or other performance materials visit www.kennedycomposer.com

Copyright © 2020 ECHO GROVE PUBLISHING All Rights Reserved.

Printed in U.S.A. |