Finzi orchestrated the piece for its performance at the Three Choirs Festival in 1947. Since then it has become a staple of the Anglican choral tradition. Performance time ranges between fourteen and eighteen minutes.
The work was originally written by Finzi with the intention of being performed at the Three Choirs Festival in 1947, and it has since become an integral part of the Anglican choral repertoire. The typical performance length is between fourteen and eighteen minutes.