Waterfall at Lushan was composed as a gift to my daughter Yvonne Mélisande Eadon, to commemorate her graduation from Hart High School in June, 2010. The first performance was given by the Santa Clarita Master Chorale.

Li Po (701 – 762) is often regarded, along with Du Fu, as one of the two greatest poets in China's literary history. Also known as Li Bai, this poet is best known for the extravagant imagination and striking Taoist imagery in his poetry, as well as for his great love for liquor. Gustav Mahler integrated four of Li Bai's works in his symphonic song cycle, Das Lied von der Erde. Li Po's verse was set by the American composer Harry Partch, in his Seventeen Lyrics by Li Po, for intoning voice and Adapted Viola. A crater on the planet Mercury has been named after Li Po.

Mount Lushan, in Jiangxi, China is one of the spiritual centers of Chinese civilization. The mountain consists of ninety-nine peaks, a spectacular landscape of mist-shrouded mountains and roaring waterfalls, home to many Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian sites.


-----Anne LeBaron