The poetry of the 19th century poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) has always been a frequented subject for the 20th century American composers who strive to pursue the American style. Aaron Copland (1900-1990) inherited the musical personality of composers from the previous generations, and further included American folk elements and modernist music vocabulary in his work. Copland's intuitive and spontaneous response to Dickinson's poetry inspired Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson, which ranks among the most important contributions to the American art songs.

The simplicity and sensitivity of Dickinson's text attract Copland (1900-1990) to composed Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson between 1949 and 1950. Although Copland is more accustomed to composing for piano, he writes a dramatic and delicate vocal line by following the natural and conversational inflection of Dickinson's words. This 28 minutes song cycle is embedded in diatonic harmony, chromaticism and polytonality.

The twelve songs surround the themes of nature, death, life, and eternity. They are not linked in cyclical fashion by continuity of text or music; only the seventh and twelfth songs are related musically. The twelve songs are like puzzles. Each of them stands alone as parts of Dickinson. When the pieces are placed together, they form a complete personality of Dickinson. Dickinson's poetry is a mosaic, concentration of ideas, and Copland matches that precision and all that it implies.