Point – Counterpoint… Part of a set of pieces for choir and string orchestra, Christmas Day revels in the wonders of counterpoint – writing multiple lines of music that function as solo lines and in conjunction. In Section I The First Violins take the lion’s share of the ‘tune’, holding down the Second Violins and Violas as they seek (but fail) to exert melodic influence. During Section II, the Second Violins and Violas work in concert to claim more aural space and pushing the First Violins higher and further away from the melodic centre they dominated. At the mid-point of Section II, spurred on by the rhythm of the celli, the First Violins begin a rapturous dance, inviting the rest of the orchestra to join them for the finale where all parts begin to sing their own identifiable melodies.