Minneopa Musical Piece
In 2002, a new musical piece about Minneopa for chorus and orchestra was written and performed. The music for "Minneopa" was composed by Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU) Professor David Dickau to a poem written by MSU Professor Richard Robbins. The Mankato Symphony and MSU Concert Choir debuted the piece that you can hear below. The poem is a tribute to the park’s most beloved feature: Minneopa Falls.
Minneopa – "water falling twice"
Come to the falls
Come to the falls
Shadows lie down there
The cool river calls
When you stand on the rocks
You can see through time
Prairie’s unwinding
Over the line
Down through the air
Where cliff swallows dive
Into the shallows
Out of the sky
Come to the falls
Come to the falls
Our burdens will fade there
The slow river crawls
I brought it a box
Of grief and self-pity
Where water falls twice
I sent a box drifting
Past crumbling limestone
Past wide-shouldered oak
Over the line
Away like smoke
Come to the falls
Come to the falls
Shadows lie down there
The cool river calls
Copyright 2002, Richard Robbins