The cheerful, folksong-like opening tune, reminiscent of the opening of No 10, is heard in close imitation. Choir two soon interrupts with a lively tripla leading into a brief duple-time tutti. The central section of the canzona is based largely on a dialogue between the choirs, each of which plays mostly in block harmony. A recapitulation of the opening leads to a triumphant coda in which the basses are finally given the lead. (Transposed down a 4th.)
from notes by Timothy Roberts © 1997
