"Sabine Baring-Gould’s familiar carol translation, along with the Basque tune long associated with it, provide the basis for this fairly straightforward arrangement. Unison tenors and basses carry the melody at the beginning accompanied by sopranos and altos in a countermelody flowing mainly in parallel thirds. Sopranos divide in a macaronic "Ave Maria!" phrase as basses drop out for the last phrase of the verse. The final refrain of "Gloria" builds from bottom to top with overlapping entrances of the melodic phrase. The second verse repeats the musical treatment of the first without alteration other than the text. Sopranos and altos begin verse three with tenors and basses picking up the accompanimental penchant for movement in parallel thirds and using the text "Magnificat anima mea Dominum." The lower voices also introduce duple beat subdivision, contributing a slight rhythmic drive to the lilting compound meter. The final verse begins with full choir in unison in emphatic declamation, and the organic breaking into harmony grows naturally from the rhetoric. As tenors and basses claim the final phrases of melody. The sopranos repeat the "Ave Maria" of verse one while altos echo the tenor statement of "Magnificat" from verse three. This collage organization has a neatly intensifying effect building to a fitting climax. The stacked entrances of "Gloria" reappear one final time with a last rhythmic intensification on the repeated "Gloria" ending on a widely spaced open fifth chord. This arrangement is well within the grasp of most amateur ensembles and is a superb arrangement of a popular carol." -The AAM Journal, Nov. 2021