Commissioned by the Cathedral Choral Society of Washington, DC, USA, in memory of Richard Wayne Dirksen (1921-2003), fourth organist and choirmaster of Washington National Cathedral. The commission was made possible by the RichardWayne Dirksen Memorial Endowment Fund. First performance on 15th December 2006 by the Cathedral Choral Society, Dr J. Reilly Lewis, Music Director, at Washington National Cathedral.