The Wound-Dresser

The Wound-Dresser is a piece for chamber orchestra and baritone singer by composer John Adams. The piece is an elegiac setting of excerpts from American poet Walt Whitman's poem "The Wound-Dresser" (1865)^[1] about his experience as a hospital volunteer during the American Civil War.^[2]

The Wound-Dresser
by John Adams
Style	Postminimalism
Commissioned by	Carillon Importers on behalf of Absolut Vodka, with assistance from the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra through a gift from Daniel and Constance Kunin
Text	"The Wound-Dresser" (Walt Whitman, 1865)
Composed	1988
Duration	about 20 minutes
Scoring	Chamber orchestra and baritone singer
Premiere
Date	24 February 1989
Location	St Paul, Minnesota
Conductor	John Adams
Performers	Sanford Sylvan (baritone) Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

It was written for baritone singer Sanford Sylvan, who premiered it on 24 February 1989 in St Paul, Minnesota, with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra conducted by the composer.^[3][4] It was subsequently recorded by the same forces for Nonesuch Records.^[5] Interpreters who have performed and recorded it since have included Thomas Hampson,^[6] Nathan Gunn,^[7] Jeremy Huw Williams,^[8] and Christopher Maltman.^[9]

In 2011, the Oregon Symphony performed and recorded the composition for Music for a Time of War.^[10][11]