In the first two parts, the three soloists represent the Archangels – Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael respectively for soprano, tenor and bass. They are much involved in the narrative of the Creation itself, as has been indicated already.

One of the most famous sections is that for Bass (Recitative and Aria) outlining the creation of the animals. An amazing tour-de-force of musical writing, this features nearly every family in the animal kingdom in a comparatively short space of time. This is, in its turn, followed by the tenor air In native worth – a serene movement in affectionate style recounting the arrival of man and woman. The stupendous chorus which follows – Achieved is the glorious work – is in two sections, separated by a trio in homage to the Almighty: On Thee each living soul awaits. The first of the two choral parts opens with an orchestral introduction preceding a short and basically straightforward chorus. The reprise after the trio is much extended, with the Choir entering spectacularly after the briefest of instrumental arpeggio figures.

A similarly large-scale concept is deployed in the third part of the work, in which the Duet By thee with bliss is an extended paean of praise involving choruses as well as soprano and bass (the soloists now represent Adam and Eve). The oratorio ends with a final chorus – Praise the Lord, ye voices all – a tremendous affirmation involving solo quartet (as opposed to the trio used elsewhere in the big set piece numbers The Lord is great and The Heavens are telling.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth;

and the earth was without form, and void;

and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

And God saw the light, that it was good:

and God divided the light from the darkness.

Now vanish before the holy beams

The gloomy shades of ancient night.

The first of days appears.

Now chaos ends, and order fair prevails.

Affrighted fly the evil hosts of hell;

Down they sink in the deep abyss

To endless night.

Despairing cursing rage attends their rapid fall.

A new-created world springs up at God's command.

And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament:

and it was so.

Now furious storms tempestuous rage,

The clouds are propelled like chaff by the winds,

By sudden fire the sky is inflamed,

And awful thunders are rolling on high.

Now vapour from the floods ascends to make reviving rain,

The dreary, stinging hail, the light and flaky snow.

The angels in their hosts arrayed

Behold the marvellous work amazed.

And to th’ethereal vaults resound

The praise of God, and of the second day.

And to th’ethereal vaults resound

The praise of God, and of the second day.

And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land earth,

and the gathering of waters called He seas: and God saw that it was good.

Rolling in foaming billows,

Uplifted, roars the boisterous sea.

Mountains and rocks now emerge,

Their tops among the clouds ascend.

Through th’open plains, outstretching wide,

In serpent error rivers flow.

Softly purling, glides on

Through silent vales the limpid brook.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed,

and the fruit-tree yielding fruit after his kind,

whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

With verdure clad the fields appear,

Delightful to the ravish’d sense;

By flowers sweet and gay

Enhanced is the charming sight.

Here fragrant herbs their odours shed;

Here shoots the healing plant.

With copious fruit the expanded boughs are hung;

In leafy arches twine the shady groves;

O’er lofty hills majestic forests wave.

And the heavenly host proclaimed the third day, praising God, and saying:

Awake the harp, the lyre awake,

And let your joyful song resound.

Rejoice in the Lord, the mighty God;

For He both heaven and earth

Has clothed in stately dress.

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven,

to divide the day from the night, and to give the light upon the earth;

and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years.

He made the stars also.

In splendour bright is rising now the sun,

And darts his rays; a joyful happy spouse, A giant proud and glad

To run his measur’d course.

With softer beams, and milder light,

Steps on the silver moon through silent night.

The space immense of th’azure sky

A countless host of radiant orbs adorns.

And the sons of God announced the fourth day,

In song divine, proclaiming thus His power:

The heavens are telling the glory of God,

The firmament displays His wondrous handiwork.

For day unto day doth shew forth His praise,
And night unto night the same doth proclaim.

The heavens are telling the glory of God,

The firmament displays His wondrous handiwork.

In all the lands resounds the word,

Never unperceived, ever understood.

The heavens are telling the glory of God,

The firmament displays His wondrous handiwork.

And God said,

Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life,

and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

On mighty pens uplifted soars

The eagle aloft, and cleaves the air,

In swiftest flight, to the blazing sun.

The merry lark his welcome bids to morn.

And cooing calls the tender dove his mate.

From ev’ry bush and grove resound

The nightingale’s delightful notes;

No grief affected yet her breast,

Nor to a mournful tale were tun’d

Her soft enchanting lays.

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth;

and God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful all, and multiply.

Ye winged tribes, be multiplied,

And sing on every tree; multiply,

Ye finny tribes, and fill each wat’ry deep;

Be fruitful, grow, and multiply,

And in your God and Lord rejoice.

And the angels struck their immortal harps,

and the wonders of the fifth day sung.

Most beautiful appear, with verdure young adorn’d,

The gently sloping hills; their narrow sinuous veins

Distill, in crystal drops, the fountain fresh and bright.

In lofty circles play, and hover in the air,

The cheerful host of birds; and as they flying whirl

Their glittering plumes are dy’d as rainbows by the sun.

See flashing through the deep in thronging swarms

The fish a thousand ways around.

Upheaved from the deep, th’immense Leviathan

Sports on the foaming wave.

How many are thy works, O God!

Who may their number tell?

The Lord is great, and great His might,

His glory lasts for ever and for evermore.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind,

cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth, after his kind.

Straight opening her fertile womb,

The earth obey’d the word,

And teem’d creatures numberless,

In perfect forms, and fully grown.

Cheerful, roaring, stands the tawny lion.

With sudden leap the flexible tiger appears.

The nimble stag bears up his branching head.

With flying mane, and fiery look, impatient neighs the noble steed.

The cattle, in herds, already seek their food

On fields and meadows green.

And o’er the ground, as plants, are spread

The fleecy, meek, and bleating flocks.

Unnumber’d as the sands, in swarms arose

The hosts of insects. In long dimension

Creeps, with sinuous trace, the worm.

Now Heaven in fullest glory shone;

Earth smil’d in all her rich attire;

The room of air with fowl is filled;

The water swell’d by shoals of fish;

By heavy beasts the ground is trod:

But all the work was not complete;

There wanted yet that wondrous being,

That, grateful, should God’s power admire,

With heart and voice His goodness praise.

And God created Man in His own image,

in the image of God created He him.

Male and female created He them.

He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and Man became a living soul.

In native worth and honour clad,

With beauty, courage, strength, adorn’d,

Erect, with front serene, he stands

A man, the lord and king of nature all.

His large and arched brow sublime

Of wisdom deep declares the seat!

And in his eyes with brightness shines

The soul, the breath and image of his God.

With fondness leans upon his breast

The partner for him form’d,

A woman, fair and graceful spouse.

Her softly-smiling virgin looks,

Of flowr’y spring the mirror,

Bespeak him love, and joy, and bliss.

And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

And the heavenly choir, in song divine, thus closed the sixth day.

Achieved is the glorious work;

The Lord beholds it, and is pleas’d.

In lofty strains let us rejoice,

Our song let be the praise of God.

On Thee each living soul awaits;

From Thee, O Lord, all seek their food;

Thou openest Thy hand,

And fillest all with good.

But when Thy face, O Lord, is hid,

With sudden terror they are struck;

Thou tak’st their breath away,

They vanish into dust.

Thou sendest forth Thy breath again,

And life with vigour fresh returns;

Revived earth unfolds new strength

And new delights.

Achieved is the glorious work;

Our song let be the praise of God.

Glory to His Name for ever.

For He alone exalted reigns.

Hallelujah!

In rosy mantle appears, by music sweet awak’d,

The morning, young and fair.

From heaven’s angelic choir

Pure harmony descends on ravish’d earth.

Behold the blissful pair,

Where hand in hand they go: their glowing looks

Express the thanks that swell their grateful hearts.

A louder praise of God their lips

Shall utter soon; then let our voices ring,

United with their song.

Adam and Eve:

By Thee with bliss, O bounteous Lord,

Both heaven and earth are stor’d.

This world so great, so wonderful.

Thy mighty hand has fram’d.

For ever blessed be His power,

His name be ever magnified.

Of stars the fairest, pledge of day,

That crown’st the smiling morn;

And thou, bright sun, that cheer’st the world,

Thou eye and soul of all;

Proclaim in your extended course

Th’almighty power and praise of God.

And Thou that rul’st the silent night

And all ye starry hosts,

Ev’rywhere spread wide his praise

In choral songs about.

Ye mighty elements, by His power

Your ceaseless changes make;

Ye dusky mists, and dewy steams,

That rise and fall thro’ th’air;

Resound the praise of God our Lord.

Great His name, and great His might.

Ye purling fountains, tune His praise;

And wave your tops, ye pines.

Ye plants, exhale, ye flowers, breathe

To Him your balmy scent.

Ye that on mountains stately tread,

And ye that lowly creep;

Ye birds that sing at heaven’s gate,

And ye that swim below;

Ye creatures all, extol the Lord;

Ye creatures all, extol the Lord;

Him celebrate, Him magnify.

Ye valleys, hills, and shady woods,

Made vocal by our song,

From morn till eve you shall repeat

Our grateful hymns of praise.

Hail! bounteous Lord! Creator, hail!

Thy word call’d forth this wondrous frame,

The heavens and earth Thy power adore;

We praise Thee now and evermore.

Our duty we have now perform’d,

In offering up to God our thanks.

Now follow me, dear partner of my life,

Thy guide I’ll be; and every step

Pours new delights into our breasts,

Shows wonders everywhere.

Then may’st thou feel and know the high degree

Of bliss the Lord allotted us,

And with devoted heart His bounties celebrate.

Come, follow me, thy guide I'll be.

O thou for whom I am, my help, my shield,

My all, thy will is law to me:

So God our Lord ordains: and from obedience

Grows my pride and happiness.

Graceful consort, at thy side

Softly fly the golden hours;

Ev’ry moment brings new rapture,

Ev’ry care is lull’d to rest.

Spouse adored, at thy side

Purest joys o’erflow the heart;

Life and all I have is thine;

My reward thy love shall be.

The dew-dropping morn, O how she quickens all!

The coolness of even, O how she all restores!

How grateful is of fruits the savour sweet!

How pleasing is of fragrant bloom the smell!

But, without thee, what is to me

The morning dew, the breath of even,

The sav’ry fruit, the fragrant bloom?

With thee is every joy enhanced,

With thee delight is ever new,

With thee is life incessant bliss,

Thine, thine it all shall be.

O happy pair! and happy still might be

If not misled by false conceit.

Ye strive at more than granted is;

And more desire to know, than know ye should.

Praise the Lord, ye voices all,

Magnify His name thro’ all creation,

Celebrate His power and glory,

Let His name resound on high.

Praise the Lord.

Utter thanks.

Jehovah’s praise for ever shall endure.

Amen.