about Rome and many other wonderful places. But a few days later, a second letter from Nielsen to Jørgensen shows that he was not happy with the poet's first attempt. He had to explain that there was a big difference between composing for soloists and for choirs. He said that all he needed was just a few lines, similar to what those in old church compositions such as the Gloria or the Creed. Jørgensen apparently was not offended and on 21 November 1903 provided a new, more suitable text which formed the basis for Nielsen's composition although Nielsen did make a few further changes. Carl Nielsen’s rough draft for the cantata is dated 10 November 1904 while his fair copy is dated 27 November 1904. Reception During the rehearsals for the first performance, Nielsen confidently wrote to his wife Anne Marie: "I consider it my most noteworthy and fully conceived work so far and I think I have fully succeeded in expressing what I wanted." The reviews for the first performance at the Music Society on 21 March 1905, however, were not quite as positive. Dannebrog commented: "In this work one again finds much of the strange and affected and the decided inclination to pile up jarring sound effects that is peculiar to this highly gifted composer. To some extent, though, these devices are justified by the words and tendency of the poetry. After an introduction that exhibits great beauty and tellingly paints the bliss of rest, 'as by the great and silent rivers that flow in peace and darkness', the composer makes a highly characteristic transition to the horrors of the night, the pernicious visions that grow into horrific hallucinations and culminate in a scream of mortal dread. This growth is carried off with considerable dramatic power and the composer really achieves the intended goal. The last section should be shortened; after the great strain the long ending, which repeats the words and mood of the introduction, has a rather fatiguing effect. Choir and orchestra performed this interesting new work excellently, and Mr. Carl Nielsen, who himself conducted, was acclaimed with a storm of applause and several curtain calls." Socialdemokraten described the work as "a peculiar and atmospheric piece of musical poetry" but also picked out the beauty of "the gentle string textures in the prelude and the first strophes of the choir with their soothing descent into the