Gloria in Excelcis Deo (2004) is a choral setting of the marvelous moment captured by Luke in his gospel. This is where the angels speak to the shepherds near Bethlehem, telling them the importance of what has happened with the birth of Christ. In this approach, I decided to focus on just the "Gloria in Excelcis Deo" text for most of the piece. The long, contrapuntal lines shift between a bright, Ionian mode and the mysterious Middle-Eastern mode (whose name I don't even know--I just made it up!) Finally, at the end, the piece quietly settles on the text "and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

This work was commissioned by Paul Jones and Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia.