Drop down, ye heavens is a three-movement piece for solo harp designed for use at Advent and Christmas. The melodic material of all three movements is based on the Advent Prose found in The New English Hymnal. The title of the piece is taken from the opening of the refrain of the Advent Prose, and the three movement titles correspond to the opening lines of three of the four verses. ‘Be ye not wroth very sore’ is delicate and gentle, and is followed by the much more vigorous ‘We have sinned’. ‘Comfort Ye’ provides an energetic conclusion to the set.

All three movements contain melodic material derived from the Advent Prose; I found this most easily discerned in the first movement, ‘Be not wroth very sore’, a slow, meditative piece. There’s greater strength in the writing during the second piece ‘We have sinned’, while the concluding ‘Comfort ye’ is swift and athletic. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International, 18.11.24)

There’s a real timeless quality to this music. (BBC Music Magazine, November 2024)

Recording with Anneke Hodnett available on Delphian Records.