This is a large-scale anthem in the output of Sir Edward Elgar, who produced a substantial body of religious music during his career, including the masterful oratorio The Dream of Gerontius (1900). Religion was important to him for most of his life, but his Catholic faith wavered in later years. Still, he reconciled with the church in the end. Premiered in Westminster Abbey in 1912, Great Is the Lord was originally scored for organ and chorus. Elgar also made a version with orchestral accompaniment, which is the rendition generally heard. The work opens with a majestic theme slowly sung by the male voices. The female members of the chorus enter, not to sing the same melody as might be expected, but to present secondary thematic material in a celestial, almost ethereal manner, thereby providing brilliant contrast to their beefier male counterparts. Throughout the work, in fact, Elgar masterfully manipulates contrast, the music bellowing grandiose strains one moment, then turning tranquil the next, only to begin building once again. The whole is utterly moving in its beautiful choral and orchestral (or organ) writing. This work typically has a duration of ten minutes.

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