I heard music in Edwin Waugh’s words from the first time I read “Christmas Morning.” The celebratory nature of the text comes through the rhyme scheme like a dance - it seemed a perfect choice for my first holiday work.
I chose to set this Victorian-era poem in a theme-and-variations form, incorporating a wide range of styles that seem to follow the everlasting beauty and joy of Christmas Day not only from morning until night, but through time itself. You can hear influences from Anglican and Lutheran choral traditions, and medieval to modern harmonies and rhythmic figures. The fanfare of morning church bells, a jingling sleigh ride, a toast among friends, and prayers of gratitude envelop the spirit and beloved traditions of the holiday season.
Commissioned by Dr. Eric Johnson and the Northern Illinois University Concert Choir.
