Written between 1850 and 1854, L'enfance du Christ (The Childhood of Christ) was first performed under Berlioz's direction during the holiday season of 1854. The three-part work―consisting of "Herod's Dream," "The Flight into Egypt," and "The Arrival at Sais" ― is scored for seven solo voices, chorus, and orchestra. The singing text appears in French, German, and English.
Unlike much of Berlioz's music, this music is restrained, lyrical, and delicate. Like La damnation de Faust ― another of the composer's celebrated choral works ― L'enfance du Christ combines dramatic action and theatricality with philosophical reflection and moments of serene contemplation. Although Berlioz was not an orthodox Christian, his portrayal of Christ's ultimate repose, "O mon âme," is "the nearest Berlioz ever came to a devoutly Christian mode of expression," according to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Reproduced from an authoritative score, this volume offers musicians and music lovers a high-quality, inexpensive edition of a masterpiece of sacred music.