A Child Of Our Time is probably Tippett's most celebrated work. It began life in 1938 when Tippett was searching for an appropriate subject for a full-scale oratorio which would be modelled on Handel's Messiah and Bach's Passions. With the Second World War and particularly the news of Kristallnacht in Nazi Germany the idea for A Child Of Our Time was born. He enriched the work with Negro spirituals the perfect modern equivalent to Bach's chorales. The result is an exultant assertion of compassion and brotherhood against all divisions of race or religion. This is the Vocal Score with Piano reduction.