This set began as a single-movement commission from Dr. Loyd Hawthorne, former director of the Hardin-Simmons University Concert Choir. A few years after The Gloria was premiered (the original title was “Today a Savior is Born”), Dr. Clell Wright, the new director of the same group commissioned a second, single-movement piece, The Annunciation. Following its premiere, I decided to complete the set on the biblical infancy narratives of Jesus. These pieces vividly evoke the Gospel scenes. There is a piano reduction of the orchestra part for conventional choral performances.