These strange and lovely words have haunted me for some years, I hope this setting does them some justice. The middle section is as loud as the choir can reasonably sing it; the opening and concluding sections as quiet as possible, remote without being chill. The quaver motif in the accompaniment is integral, suggesting the tinkling and cracking of ice, the heartbeat of the shepherds as the light bursts upon them, etc. I have inserted some dynamics, but they are always dictated by the words, and also up to the conductor. This revised edition of this piece, first sung in 2006, cleans up some infelicities in the accompaniment