The gentle and familiar lilt of the Basque melody to which these words have been sung is known and loved all over the world. Without in any way denigrating the music, I have often felt that a more vigorous treatment of these words would also be appropriate. ‘His wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame,’ for example, gives more than a hint of the drama of the Annunciation. My setting of the words attempts to illustrate this. The organ introduction reflects the descent of the Angel Gabriel, as well as my childish love of the thought of Heaven being above us. Arriving at the words ‘My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name,’ the opening of Stanford’s Magnificat in G sprang to mind; I hope that the small quotation from this iconic work will add interest, as well as reflecting my admiration for a composer whose birthday I share.