Charles Anthony Silvestri wrote a translation to Latin for Whitacre, who composed the piece in 2000 on a commission from the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, dedicated to Dr. Jo-Michael Schiebe.
Charles Anthony Silvestri wrote a translation to Latin for Whitacre, trying to translate "the original poem into Latin as singably and as sonically beautifully as I could". The piece was composed on a commission from the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, dedicated to Dr. Jo-Michael Schiebe.