This oratorio by a youthful Camille Saint-Saens was first performed by soloists, chorus and small string orchestra for the 1858 Christmas service at the Église de la Madeleine in Paris. The composer's colleague Eugene Gigout arranged the vocal score, which is presented here in a digitally-enhanced reprint of the one issued by G. Schirmer early in the 20th century. As with the other titles in this series, measure numbers have been added and rehearsal systems have been checked for compliance with the widely available orchestral parts found on IMSLP and offered by several publishers. The large A4 size is quite convenient for soloists, choruses, and directors alike. A full score and orchestral parts are now also available directly from Serenissima Music (92710).
