‘And so on’ is a setting of the famous poem Siphonatptera (1872) by mathematician Augustus de Morgan, itself based on Jonathan Swift. Swift was thinking about his precarious place in the competitive hierarchy of writers, while de Morgan was more aware of humanity’s place in the universe, with atomic theory on one side (‘and so down forever’) and astronomy on the other (‘and so up forever’). In the piece, Voices vary between coordinated chords, vocalisations and sung free canon, with tuning-fork percussion and tones for added annoyance. This piece was written for and premiered by CoMA Singers in 2024.
Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite ‘em
And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum.
And the great fleas themselves in turn have greater fleas to go on,
While these have greater still and greater still and so on.
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