According to the composer, this piece has two lives: it can be used as a simple litanic verse and refrain for Christmas morning, or_x0014_ as presented in this octavo for full SATB chorus and keyboard (with parts for clarinet, oboe, and cello available for separate download)_x0014_ as performance piece for the choir. Characterized by large dynamic swings, striking dissonances, and driving syncopations of the 6/8 meter in the accompaniment, this work musically embodies the joy elicited by the birth of the Lord.
