We know this Isaiah 9:6 text well, thanks to G. F. Handel, but this music could not be more different from the Messiah version. The composer has given us a lilting 3/4 tune stated by the entire choir and then sung in canon. “And his name shall be called . . .” returns to unison, and then it is repeated in canon. Finally, the opening material returns, but with a 2-part coda. This is clearly the kind of piece than can make two voices sound like a choir. |
