Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

Flutes 1 and 2

Oboe

English Horn

Clarinets in B♭ 1 and 2

Bassoon

Horn in F

Timpani

Percussion I

Triangle, Suspended Cymbal

Percussion II

Glockenspiel

Percussion III

Chimes

Celesta

Harp

SATB Choir

Violin I

Violin II

Viola

Cello

Contrabass

The traditional Polish carol “W Żłobie Leży” (“In the Manger He Lies”) portrays the simple circumstances surrounding the birth of Christ. It describes the presence of animals at the manger side and the visit of humble shepherds, who were among the first to greet the newborn Savior. In 1920, this beloved carol was translated into English as “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” by Edith Margaret Gellibrand Reed (1885-1933), a British musician and playwright. Reed found the original Polish text in the hymnal "Spiewniczek Piesni Koscielne,” published in 1908, although the carol itself may date back to the sixteenth century. The text is attributed to the Jesuit and famous patriotic preacher, Piotr Skarga, while the melody resembles the coronation polonaise of Polish King Wladyslaw IV Waza.