Lines That May Fall Under Your Eye by Jason Thorpe Buchanan was composed in the winter of 2006-2007. It was commissioned by the San José State University Concert Choir under the direction of Dr. Julie Yu. The selection of text was a joint effort between the composer and director. The text is an excerpt from the "Dear Sarah" letter written by Major Sullivan Ballou, who was killed in the civil war only a week after writing the letter to his wife. He was 32 at the time of his death in the first Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861. This excerpt was chosen for its evocative message and vivid imagery, lending itself to text painting in the music through the use of roving modal harmonies, dense chord voicing, chromaticism and irregular changes in meter.