“Christmas,” the poem by John Oxenford, was written in 1859, and was first performed at one of the concerts of the Musical Society of London, on the 9th of May 1860. The poem itself contains no story. It is merely a tribute to the season; but at the same time it is not destitute of incident, so that it possesses considerable dramatic interest.
After a short instrumental introduction the cantata opens with a double chorus in antiphonal style, in which both the bright and the dark sides of winter are celebrated. The second choir takes up the theme:—
“The trees lift up their branches bare
Against the sky:
Through the keen and nipping air
For spring’s return they seem to cry,
As the winds with solemn tone
About them sadly moan;”
and the first choir replies:—
“Old Winter’s hand is always free,