The first part treats of the condemnation of Jesus, the crucifixion, Mary at the foot of the cross and Jesus’ conversation with the two thieves. It contains some finely written solos and choruses, and the two instrumental numbers--‘The March to Calvary’ and the number descriptive of the darkness that fell over the earth as Jesus uttered his last words. The second part includes the events in the period between the Resurrection and the Ascension. Among the beautiful numbers in this part are the trio of Holy Women (two sopranos and a contralto) ‘The Lord, He is risen again,’ and the lovely chorus with soprano obbligato, ‘From Thy love as a Father.’ Possibly the strongest chorus in the whole work is ‘Unfold, ye portals everlasting,’ which is so often sung as a separate chorus number. The third part with its beautiful orchestral introduction has for its first chorus the melodious ‘Lovely appear over the mountains,’ followed by one of the most exquisite portions of the whole work, the soprano solo, ‘Over the barren wastes.’ After a repetition of the preceding chorus, there follow the impressive events of the day of Pentecost, the Apostles at prayer (for orchestra alone), the descent of the Spirit and the singing of the Beatitudes. The close is a repetition of the majestic apostles’ hymn in unison, with the whole chorus, orchestra and organ massed in a magnificent structure with grandiose effect. _Mors et Vita_ is the second of his contemplated ‘sacred trilogy,’ of which ‘The Redemption’ was the first. The Latin text is compiled from the Catholic liturgy and from the Vulgate, and the work is dedicated to Pope Leo XIII. The first performance took place at the Birmingham Festival, August 26, 1885, under the direction of Richter, and the first performance in Paris, in May, 1886. Gounod writes in the preface: ‘It will perhaps be asked why, in the title, I have placed death before life. It is because in the order of eternal things death precedes life, although in the order of temporal things life precedes death.’ He also refers to his use of ‘leading motives,’ which are also employed in ‘The Redemption.’ There are four of these, the first of which, a theme made up of four tones (a sequence of three major seconds), is supposed to express ‘the terror inspired by the sense of the inflexibility of Justice and, in consequence, by that of the anguish of punishment. Its sternness gives expression both to the sentences of Divine Justice and the sufferings of the condemned, and is found in combination throughout the whole work with melodic forms which express sentiments altogether different, as in the _Sanctus_ and the _Pie Jesu_ of the _Requiem_ which forms the first part.’ The second, the motive of sorrow and tears, is, by the alteration of one tone, changed into a motive of joy. Of the fourth, Gounod writes: ‘By means of a threefold superposition, it results in the interval of an augmented fifth and announces the