This work investigates the musical setting of Walt Whitman's poetry through the lens of Hans Werner Henze's distinct modernist compositional style. The score serves as a technical reduction for high voice and piano, providing a framework for performers to interpret the intersection of 19th-century American verse and 20th-century European avant-garde sensibilities. Henze utilizes complex harmonic structures to mirror the existential weight found in the source text.

The composition is regarded as a significant example of Henze's mid-to-late career vocal writing, noted for its technical demand and atmospheric intensity. The score provides a rigorous challenge for performers, requiring a high degree of precision in both vocal color and rhythmic articulation.