‘Zion’ is a sacred cantata for baritone solo, chorus, and orchestra, written in 1860 when Gade was at the height of his creative powers. It consists of an introduction (‘Hear, O my flock Israel’) in which the chorus relates how the Lord God heard the groanings and cries of the children of Israel and wrought great wonders in their behalf. This is followed by two choruses--the first describing the departure from Egypt and closing with a tranquil fugal section (‘Like as a flock He hath gently led His people’), and the second portraying the captivity in Babylon. The final number, entitled ‘The Return,’ relates the prophecy of the New Jerusalem. The baritone solo takes up the theme in a dignified aria, followed by a female chorus and closing with an animated full chorus (‘Never shall thy sun be setting’) in impressive, sonorous phrases. The whole work is conceived in a broad oratorio style in which the influence of both Handel and Mendelssohn may be detected. ‘Spring’s Message,’ for chorus and orchestra, is based on a poem by Geibel which depicts Spring as the season of hope, particularly of the Christian’s hope. This mood is maintained throughout and the composer’s gift of tuneful melody has thrown over voice-parts and accompaniment alike a charm that well befits this joyous season. This short work was written in 1853. VII Félicien David (1810-1876) was a prominent French composer of the nineteenth century who attained his maximum popularity in the fifties. Though he wrote numerous operas and compositions in various other fields, he is one of those composers whom posterity has remembered almost entirely by a single work, in this case, ‘The Desert,’ a composition of singular beauty and charm. While a comparatively young man David had sojourned for several years in the East, in Constantinople, Egypt, and the Holy Land, and his experiences there made an indelible impression upon his talents. The form of ‘The Desert’ is rather hard to classify. The composer calls it a ‘symphonic ode.’ It consists of orchestral numbers, male choruses, and tenor solos, grouped into three parts and interspersed with short descriptive recitations. The poem by Auguste Colin, which forms the text of the work, made an instant appeal to David and the very spontaneous music for it was composed in three months. When it was first performed in the hall of the Conservatoire, December 8, 1844, it was received with enormous applause and was repeated to crowded houses for a month. The popular estimate then placed upon it has been largely confirmed by its long-continued popularity. David wrote three other choral works--the oratorio ‘Moses on Sinai’ (1846), a second symphonic ode, ‘Christopher Columbus’ (1847), and ‘Eden,’ a ‘mystery’ in two parts, performed at the Grand Opéra in 1848--but none of these received popular approval.