Andy wrote this piece for his mother’s church choir, setting the poems and prayers of one of the singers in the choir, Sandi Ohlen. Much of the text is written about the birth of Jesus, and Andy explores two primary themes in the music. The first theme is the mystery of the immaculate conception. This is represented by parallel major thirds in the choir followed by a lullaby-like melody in Bb lydian. The second is fear of the Lord when the angels proclaim Jesus’ birth to the shepherds. Fear of the Lord is often misunderstood, and is meant to convey a deep reverence and submission to God’s power and divinity. My intention was to represent this power in the concluding fanfare with rising chromatic harmonies and dissonant suspensions in D major.

Original cover art by Andy Lloyd Josten.