I Will Hold Him

Beginning with the familiar story of the angel Gabriel coming to Galilee to bring Mary the news that she will bear God’s son, the verses thereafter take the form of a conversation between Gabriel (Tenors and Basses) and Mary (Sopranos and Altos). The turning point comes at verse 5 when Mary repeats the words which the angel has just spoken but in the first person, indicating her willingness to accept God’s calling. For the final section of the piece, Mary, now represented by a solo soprano, communes directly with God through prayer. The metre changes from the folky 6/8 to a freer colla voce at which point the choir resumes its verse 1 role of narrator.