Composer: Eleonor SandreskyDetailsFormat: Mixed Choir - 4 voicesVoicing: SATBIncidental Divisi: S, AAccompaniment: obbligato instrument(s)Instrumentation: violincelloNotation: standardPerformance Length: 6:45 Study Scores & Audio FilesStudy Score & Audio Order Printed ScoresOrder site / Alternate source of score: info@sandresky.com Texts & TranslationsLanguage(s): EnglishText Source: William Blake, The Garden of Love, and For the Sexes; Allen Ginsburg, Fall of AmericaText: I went to the Garden of Love And saw what I never had seen: A Chapel was built in the midst, Where I used to play on the green. And the gates of the Chapel were shut And "Thou shalt not" writ over the door; So I turn'd to the Garden of Love That so many sweet flowers bore; And I saw it was filled with graves, And tomb-stones where flowers should be; And Priests in black gowns were walking their rounds And binding with briars my joys and desires Mutual forgiveness of each Vice, Such are the Gates of Paradise. Against the Accuser's chief desire, Who walk'd among the Stones of Fire, Jehovah's Finger Wrote the Law. Then Wept! then rose in Zeal and Awe, And the Dead Corpse from Sinai's heat Buried beneath his Mercy Seat. O Christians Christians! tell me Why You rear it on your Altars high. Shoot them! Bomb Them! Them Bomb! Bomb Them! Programming AidsPerformance Difficulty: moderateSeasonal Usage: Memorial DayArmistice DayDescriptive Terms: deathanti-warpoetrypeacesadprofoundacousticAllow Excerpts: Composition is a single movementComposer’s Notes: Inspired to compose the piece after the onset of the Iraqi conflict of 2003, my trip to Russia later that same year inspired its unique sound. The Fall of America seeks to counteract the ugliness of war with the beauty of the poetic imagery and sonorous harmonies in contrast to the Renaissance-style string technique used in the accompaniment. The mixing of the two Blake poems with the few lines of Ginsburg gives a modern feel to the words and enhances the meaning. Additional InformationDate of Completion: February, 2004Date of First Performance: Sunday, April 18, 2004Premier Performance Data: Vox Vocal Ensemble (George Steel, cond), St Peter's Episcopal Church, New York, NY, Tom Chiu - violin, Okkyung Lee - cello.