Part One

Overture

Recitative (Tenor) 

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, 

saith your God. Speak ye comfortably 

to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her 

warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is 

pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the 

wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, 

make straight in the desert a highway for 

our God. 

Air (Tenor) 

Every valley shall be exalted, and every 

mountain and hill made low: the crooked 

straight, and the rough places plain. 

Chorus 

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, 

and all flesh shall see it together: for the 

mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. 

Recitative (Bass) 

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, a 

little while, and I will shake the heavens, and 

the earth, the sea, and the dry land; And I 

will shake all nations, and the desire of all 

nations shall come: The Lord whom ye seek, 

shall suddenly come to his temple, even 

the messenger of the covenant, whom ye 

delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the 

Lord of hosts. 

Air (Bass) 

But who may abide the day of his coming? 

And who shall stand when he appeareth? 

For He is like a refiner’s fire. 

Chorus 

And he shall purify the sons of Levi, that 

they may offer unto the Lord an offering 

in righteousness. 

Recitative (Mezzo-soprano) 

Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a 

son, and shall call his name Immanuel, 

“God-with-us.” 

Air (Mezzo-soprano) and Chorus 

O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get 

thee up into the high mountain; O thou that 

tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up they 

voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; 

say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your 

God! Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and 

the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. 

Recitative (Bass) 

For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, 

and gross darkness the people: but the Lord 

shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be 

seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come 

to thy light, and kings to the brightness of 

thy rising. 

Air (Bass) 

The people that walked in darkness have 

seen a great light: and they that dwell in the 

land of the shadow of death, upon them hath 

the light shined. 

Chorus 

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is 

given: and the government shall be upon 

his shoulder: and his name shall be called 

Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, 

The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 

 

PIFA (“Pastoral Symphony”)

Recitative (Soprano) 

There were shepherds abiding in the field, 

keeping watch over their flock at night. 

Arioso (Soprano) 

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon 

them, and the glory of the Lord shone round 

about them: and they were sore afraid. 

Recitative (Soprano) 

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, 

behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, 

which shall be to all people. For unto you is 

born this day in the city of David a Saviour, 

which is Christ the Lord. 

Arioso (Soprano) 

And suddenly there was with the angel a 

multitude of the heavenly host praising God, 

and saying, 

Chorus 

Glory to God in the highest, and peace on 

earth, good will towards men. 

Air (Soprano) 

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, 

O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King 

cometh unto thee: he is the righteous 

Saviour. And he shall speak peace unto 

the heathen. 

Recitative (Mezzo-soprano) 

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, 

and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then 

shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the 

tongue of the dumb shall sing. 

Air (Mezzo-soprano and Soprano) 

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: and 

he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and 

carry them in his bosom, and gently lead 

those that are with young. Come unto Him, 

all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and 

He will give you rest. Take His yoke upon 

you, and learn of Him, for He is meek and 

lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto 

your souls. 

Chorus 

His yoke is easy, and His burthen is light.  

INTERMISSION 

Part Two

 Chorus 

Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away 

the sin of the world. 

Air (Mezzo-soprano) 

He was despised and rejected of men, a man 

of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. He 

gave his back to the smiters, and His cheeks 

to them that plucked off the hair. He hid not 

His face from shame and spitting. 

Chorus 

Surely, He hath borne our griefs and carried 

our sorrows; He was wounded for our 

transgressions, He was bruised for our 

iniquities; the chastisement of our peace 

was upon Him. 

Chorus 

And with His stripes we are healed. 

Chorus 

All we like sheep have gone astray. We have 

turned everyone to his own way. And the 

Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 

Recitative (Tenor) 

All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn. 

They shoot out their lips, and shake their 

heads, saying: 

Chorus 

He trusted in God that He would deliver Him, 

let Him deliver Him, if He delight in Him. 

Recitative (Tenor) 

Thy rebuke hath broken His heart; He is full 

of heaviness. He looked for some to have 

pity on Him, but there was no man, neither 

found He any to comfort Him. 

Air (Tenor) 

Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like 

unto His sorrow! 

Recitative (Tenor) 

He was cut off out of the land of the living; 

for the transgressions of Thy people was 

He stricken. 

Air (Tenor) 

But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell; 

nor didst Thou suffer Thy Holy One to 

see corruption. 

Air (Bass) 

Why do the nations so furiously rage 

together, and why do the people imagine a 

vain thing? The kings of the earth rise up, 

and the rulers take counsel together against 

the Lord, and against His anointed. 

Chorus 

Let us break their bonds asunder and cast 

away their yokes from us. 

Recitative (Tenor) 

He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh 

them to scorn; the Lord shall have them 

in derision. 

Air (Tenor) 

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; 

thou shalt dash them in pieces like a 

potter’s vessel. 

Chorus 

Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent 

reigneth. Hallelujah! The Kingdom of this 

world is become the Kingdom of our Lord 

and of his Christ, and He shall reign forever 

and ever. King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

Part Three

Air (Soprano) 

I know that my Redeemer liveth and that He 

shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. 

And tho’ worms destroy this body, yet in my 

flesh shall I see God. For now is Christ risen 

from the dead, the first fruits of them 

that sleep. 

Chorus 

Since by man came death, by man came 

also the resurrection of the dead. For as in 

Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be 

made alive. 

Recitative (Bass) 

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not 

all sleep, but we shall all be chang’d in a 

moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the 

last trumpet. 

Air (Bass) 

The trumpet shall sound and the dead shall 

be raised, incorruptible. 

Chorus 

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and 

hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to 

receive power and riches and wisdom and 

strength and honour and glory and blessing. 

Blessing, and honour, glory, and power, be 

unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and 

unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Amen.