O all ye Works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever.
O ye Angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever.
O ye Sun and Moon, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever.
O ye Light and Darkness, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever.
O all ye Green Things upon the Earth, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever.
O ye Seas and Floods, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever.
O ye Children of Men, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

'Benedicite' begins with a solo trumpet melody, built on rising fourths and descending scales to represent God's work and the creation. As the choir rise up from the darkness with 'O all ye Works', they first imitate the trumpet, then gradually transform into a more modal harmonic language. The trumpet then re-articulates the opening material before 'O ye Angels of the Lord' is sung by a quartet of solo female voices in the whole tone mode, with the major second evoking light and brightness. The trumpet re-enters once more and leads the choir into a vibrant setting of 'Oh ye Sun and Moon', layering cascading scales against a contrapuntal choir, outlining a transformed modal harmony with an emphasis on the major third. This flows downwards into the central section for solo trumpet and solo baritone in a dialogue that sets 'O ye Light and Darkness' over a pedal in the basses, reminiscent of the original trumpet melody. I then re-introduce the quartet of four solo female voices in the whole tone mode, but with an altered context and background canvas as light grows out of the darkness. The choir and trumpet then work together again with 'O ye Seas and Floods', reaching a high point with 'O ye Children of Men', before moving into the last section where the trumpet plays a transformed melody over an undulating series of modal scales in the choir, to conclude on one last vertical statement of the scale, which swells to an uplifting conclusion.