The poem inspired a thread of melodies and bold harmonic colors centering around the unique sound of the Lydian mode, which features a raised fourth scale degree.
The novel properties of this interval (often referred as the tritone) make it characteristically unstable when used in a melody, while alternately providing useful connections to neighboring key relationships as a leading tone. As such, I paired Delands first line "At the break of Christmas Day with a raised 4th on a repetition of the word break, highlighting the heightened sense of expectation found in the season of Advent.
As the melody is repeated, paired with other voices, or used in subsequent verses, the 4th scale degree alternates from raised to its original quality, indicating the resolution found in Delands words that "Christ is here." This small change opens up vast array of melodic and harmonic developments and transformations in the remaining two verses.
Finally, this work is a response to my recent fascination with the marvelous and magical sounds available from the pedal harp. I become ever more interested in the harp as I learn about its history, construction, and virtuosic technique it demands. May the shimmering harmonies and evocative harp effects of this piece inspire in all the joy, peace, and love at Christmastime.