This carol traditionally starts softly - often with a boy treble singing alone in the distance - but always mildly and at peace. From there it grows and grows - through 6 verses. I gentle intro duce a counter melody in the high register during the third verse, which, itself, grows into a fuller and longer theme in the final verse.

Some of the verses end with a second syllable on the final word eg. holy - verse 2; gladness - verse 4. These are catered for in the arrangement, and the pharse re-occurs as a decoration of the last note of some verses where the words don't need to follow.

All the parts are now available here.