Welcome
Across The River is a song cycle based on the story of Fannie Heldmann. Fannie lived in Greenville, South Carolina from 1862-1889. Little is known about her brief life. The major event that we do know involves her tragic death. She took her own life on New Year's Day 1889 by drowning herself in the Reedy River. Her suicide was reported in The New York Times shortly after the event. It was said that she had become depressed over her upcoming arranged marriage to a business partner of her father.
I have taken literary license to imagine that Fannie had a lover before and during the time leading up to her wedding. I have given him the name of Jordan Christopher. Rather than face a marriage she did not want, she took her own life. This collection of songs reflect the love of Fannie and Jordan. They convey a simple yet profound fact: LOVE NEVER DIES.
If one goes to Springwood Cemetery in Downtown Greenville they can find Fannie's grave and monument on its highest point. Atop a column a forlorn angel looks down upon her final resting place. I often take walks in this cemetery and reflect upon the lives of those who are buried there. Over time I found myself drawn to that angel on the hill and this touching remembrance ultimately became the spark for this song cycle.
THE SONGS
Swan Song/Long Live Life/Everybody Sees Her/You Better Mind/I Know What I Need/If I Could, I Would/All Those Things That Graced My Heart/There For You/Love Never Dies/End of Summer/Midnight Moonlight Memory/The Angel's Eyes/May Your Heart Still Guide Your Way/Across the River
All Songs By William Bates
T21 Music 2013
