The Crucifixion, an oratorio composed by John Stainer in 1887 was designed in such a way that most church choirs would find it accessible. Also, it helpfully includes five hymns so that the congregation can contribute also. Whilst the text for this work was written by W J Sparrow Simpson, who worked with Stainer in an earlier work entitled ‘Mary Magdalene’, that used in this setting of ‘God, so loved the world’ is literal from John 3 verse 16 in the scriptures. This movement of ‘The Crucifixion’ is the most popular and widely used.
