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1. Representation of Chaos

2. Recitative and chorus
Raphael
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
Chorus
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said: Let  there be light, and there was light.
Uriel
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.  Back to selection.

3. Aria and chorus
Uriel
Now vanish before the holy beams
The gloomy ancient shades of darkness,
The first of days appears.
Disorder yields and order fair prevails.
Affrighted fly hell's spirits black in throngs;
Down they sink in the deep of abyss,
To endless night.
Chorus
Despairing cursing rage
Attends their rapid fall.
A new created world
Springs up at God's command.

4.   Aria and chorus
Gabriel
What wonder doth his work reveal
To heaven's host in joyful throng.
And from the ethereal vaults resound
The praise of God, and of the second day.
Chorus
And from the ethereal vaults resound
The praise of God, and of the second day.

5. Recitative
Gabriel
And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth; and it was so.

6. Aria
Gabriel
With verdure clad the fields appear,
Delightful to the ravished sense;
By flowers sweet and gay
Enhanced is the charming sight.
Here herbs of every leaf abound,
Here dwells a healing place.
By load of fruits the expanded boughs are pressed;
To shady vaults are bent the tufty groves,
The mountain's brow is crowned with closed wood.

7. Recitative
Uriel
And the heavenly host proclaimed the third day, praising God, and saying:

8. Chorus
Awake the harp, the lyre awaken.
In shout and joy your voices raise!
In triumph sing the mighty God!
For he the heavens and earth
Has clothed in stately dress.

9. Recitative
Uriel
And God said: Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day from the night, and to give light upon the earth; and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days, and for years.  He made the stars also.

10. Recitative
Uriel
In splendour bright is rising now the sun
And darts his rays; an amorous, joyful, happy spouse,
A giant proud and glad to run his measured course.
With softer beams and milder light
Steps on the silver moon through silent night.
The space immense of the azure sky
Innumerous hosts of radiant orbs adorns.
And the sons of God announced the fourth day,
In chorus divine, proclaiming thus his power:

11. Chorus and solos
Chorus
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
The wonder of his work displays the firmament.
Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael
To day that is coming speaks it the day,
The night that is gone to following night.
Chorus
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
The wonder of his work displays the firmament.
Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael
In all the lands resounds the word,
Never unperceived, ever understood.
Chorus
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
The wonder of his work displays the firmament.

PART TWO

12. Recitative
Gabriel
And God said: Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl, that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

13. Aria
Gabriel
On mighty pens uplifted soars
The eagle aloft, and cleaves the sky
In swiftest flight, to the blazing sun.
His welcome bids to morn the merry lark,
And cooing calls the tender dove his mate.
From every bush and grove resound
The nightingale's delightful notes.
No grief affected yet her breast,
Nor to a mournful tale were tuned
Her soft enchanting lays.

14. Trio and Chorus
Gabriel
Most beautiful appear, with verdure young adorned,
The gently sloping hills; their narrow sinuous veins
Distill in crystal drops, the fountain fresh and bright.

Uriel
In lofty circles plays and hovers through the sky
The cheerful host of birds; and in the flying whirl
The glittering plumes are dyed as rainbows by the sun.

Raphael
See flashing through the wet in thronged swarms
The fry on thousand ways around.
Upheaved from the deep, the immense Leviathan
Sports on the foaming wave.

Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael
How many are thy works, O God!
Who may their numbers tell?

Chorus and Solos
The Lord is great, and great his might,
His glory lasts for ever and for evermore.

15. Recitative
Raphael
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the heavenly choir, in song divine, thus closed the sixth day.

16. Chorus and Trio
Chorus
Achieved is the glorious work;
The Lord beholds it, and is pleased.
In lofty strains let us rejoice,
Our song let be the praise of God.

Gabriel and Uriel
On thee each living soul awaits;
From thee, O Lord, they beg their meat;
Thou openest thy hand,
And sated all they are.

Raphael
But as to them thy face is hid
With sudden terror they are struck;
Thou takest their breath away,
They vanish into dust.
Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael
Thou let'st thy breath go forth again
And life with vigour fresh returns;
Revived earth unfolds
New force and new delights.

Chorus
Achieved is the glorious work;
Our song let be the praise of God.
Glory to his Name for ever.
He sole on high exalted reigns. Alleluia!

PART THREE

17. Recitative
Uriel
In rosy mantle appears,
By tunes sweet awaked,
The morning, young and fair.
From the celestial vaults
Pure harmony descends on ravished earth.
Behold the blissful pair,
Where hand in hand they go! their flaming looks
Express what feels the grateful heart.
A louder praise of God their lips shall utter soon;
Then let our voices ring, united with their song.

18. Duet and chorus
Adam and Eve
By thee with bliss, O bounteous Lord,
The heaven and earth are stored.
This world so great, so wonderful
Thy mighty hand has framed.

Chorus
For ever blessed be his power,
His Name be ever magnified.

Adam
Of stars the fairest, O how sweet
Thy smile at dawning morn!
How brightest thou, O sun, the day,
Thou eye and soul of all;

Chorus
Proclaim in your extended course
The almighty power and praise of God.

Eve
And thou that rules the silent night,
And all ye starry hosts,
Spread wide and everywhere his praise
In choral songs about.

Adam
Ye strong and cumbrous elements
Who ceaseless changes make;
Ye dusky mists, and dewy steams,
Who rise and fall through the air;

Adam, Eve and Chorus
Resound the praise of God our Lord.
Great is his name, and great his might.

Eve
Ye purling fountains, tune his praise;
And wave your tops, ye pines!
Ye plants, exhale, ye flowers, breathe
At him your balmy scent.

Adam
Ye that on mountains stately tread,
And ye that lowly creep;
Ye birds that sing at heaven's gate,
Ye that swim the stream.
Ye living souls, extol the Lord;
Him celebrate, him magnify.
He sole on high exalted reigns.  Alleluia!

Adam and Eve
Ye valleys, hills and shady woods,
Our raptured notes ye heard;
From morn to eve you shall repeat
Our grateful hymns of praise.

Chorus
Hail! bounteous Lord! Almighty, hail!
Thy word called forth this wondrous frame,
Thy power adore the heaven and earth.
We praise thee now and evermore.

19. Recitative
Uriel
O happy pair, and always happy yet,
If not misled by false conceit,
Ye strive at more as granted is;
And more to know as know ye should!

20. Chorus and soloists
Sing to God, ye voices all,
Offer thanks for all his works created.
Celebrate his power and glory,
Let his name resound on high!
The Lord is great! His praise shall never end.
Amen.

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