The Light that is Felt sets a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier, a poet Ives admired so much he sketched some of a
Whittier Overture for orchestra. He seems to have set the poem first as an anthem for use in church in about 1895, and arranged the song version in 1904. The theme of the desire to recapture the faith and simplicity of the child is a recurrent one in his work.
from notes by Calum MacDonald © 2008
