Wherefore Do the Heathen Clamor (Saint-Saens)

The Oratorio de Noël, Op. 12, by Camille Saint-Saëns, also known as his Christmas Oratorio, is a cantata-like work scored for soloists, chorus, organ, strings and harp. While an organist at La Madeleine, Saint-Saëns wrote the Christmas oratorio in less than a fortnight, completing it ten days before its premiere on Christmas 1858. We will be performing a selection from the Oratorio ten days before Christmas. The text of the chorus number we are singing comes from Psalm 2, Verse 1, which is a prophetic psalm describing the opposition of the nations to God and His Messiah. The question asks for the motivation behind their furious and insolent actions against divine authority. Perhaps the answer is found in the following selection … Elgar's The Snow