9 0 4 – 1 9 0 6 ), ▁Five ▁T ud or ▁Port ra its , ▁words ▁by ▁John ▁Sk el ton ▁( 1 9 3 5 ), ▁and ▁the ▁Shakespeare an ▁Ser en ade ▁to ▁Music ▁( in ▁its ▁alternative ▁version ▁for ▁ch orus ▁and ▁or chestra , ▁ 1 9 3 8 ). ▁Ch oral ▁pieces ▁with ▁religious ▁words ▁include ▁the ▁or atorio ▁San ct a ▁C iv itas ▁( 1 9 2 3 – 1 9 2 5 ) ▁and ▁the ▁Christmas ▁cant ata ▁H od ie ▁( 1 9 5 4 ). ▁In ▁ 1 9 5 3 ▁the ▁composer ▁said ▁that ▁of ▁his ▁ch oral ▁works ▁San ct a ▁C iv itas ▁was ▁his ▁favour ite . ▁The ▁D ona ▁Nob is ▁Pac em , ▁an ▁imp ass ioned ▁anti - war ▁cant ata ▁( 1 9 3 6 ) ▁is ▁a ▁combination ▁of ▁both , ▁with ▁words ▁from ▁Whit man ▁and ▁others ▁ju xt ap osed ▁with ▁extract s ▁from ▁the ▁Latin ▁mass , ▁anticip ating ▁a ▁similar ▁mixture ▁of ▁sacred ▁and ▁sec ular ▁text ▁in ▁Brit ten ' s ▁War ▁Re qu iem ▁twenty - five ▁years ▁later . ▁ ▁Stage ▁works ▁V aug han ▁Williams ▁was ▁w ary ▁of ▁conventional ▁labels ; ▁his ▁best ▁known ▁bal let ▁is ▁described ▁on ▁the ▁title ▁page ▁as ▁" a ▁mas que ▁for ▁dan cing " ▁and ▁only ▁one ▁of ▁his ▁oper atic ▁works ▁is ▁categor ised ▁by ▁the ▁composer ▁simply ▁as ▁an ▁opera . ▁For ▁some ▁of