About the piece

I wanted to capture the majesty and splendor of the Christmas season in this work. To do so, I tried to incorporate many of the elements

of the Christmas story into the construction of the piece. The total work is presented in four distinct sections.

The first section begins with a Christmas Eve plea in anticipation of what is to come. After a brief introduction designed to establish the

mood, an initial statement of the hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel emerges. And for the first time, we begin to see the biblical characters

appear, the first of which we hear in a brief motif of We Three Kings.

The second section continues with hints of the far east, this represented not in the melodic content as it is at the beginning but in the rhythmic

accompaniment of a brief fugue based on Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus. Here, we begin to experience musically the excitement and

anticipation of the eve at hand.

The third section, then, becomes more reflective in an initial presentation of O Come, All Ye Faithful. The initial contemplative verse is followed

by a declamatory brass fanfare of the chorus, announcing that something is indeed about to change.

That change is represented in the fourth and final section. The first verse of Angels We Have Heard On High announces the other biblical

characters into the story: the angels (verse 1) and the shepherds (verse 2). This is all occurring while the pronouncement of "Hallelujah" from

Handel's chorus begin to interject. Rich harmonies begin to emerge as the previous hymntunes begin to return layered on top of one another. This

while the melodic content of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus becomes the central focus of the conclusion.

Together, in one accord, all of humanity declares Hallelujah!

This work was written for the Stonebriar Community Church Symphony Orchestra for their 2024 Christmas production. My hope is that the piece

can be a celebratory blessing during this most joyous time of the year!