28 is an extended choral composition for Christmas by Benjamin Britten scored for three-part treble chorus, solo voices, and harp.

The text, structured in eleven movements, is taken from The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems, edited by Gerald Bullett.

Originally conceived as a series of unrelated songs, it was later unified into one piece with the framing processional and recessional chant in unison based on the Gregorian antiphon "Hodie Christus natus est".

In addition, the movements "This Little Babe" and "Deo Gracias" have the choir reflecting harp-like effects by employing a canon at the first in stretto.

Many of the movements are written as rounds or call-and-response pieces – lyrically simple for the sake of the children performing.

This is a macaronic piece, meaning the text is in both a vernacular language (English, in this case) and Latin.

[1] That yongë child when it gan weep With song she lulled him asleep: That was so sweet a melody It passèd alle minstrelsy.

It switches the focus from the baby to the Virgin Mary in gentle, soothing music which progressively grows softer until the very end.

It depicts a battle between the baby and Satan (good and evil), which is conveyed in its swift tempo, polyrhythms, overlapping segments between the voices, and the fact that the song grows progressively louder over the duration of the movement.

With tears he fights and wins the field, His naked breast stands for a shield; His battering shot are babish cries, His arrows looks of weeping eyes, His martial ensigns Cold and Need, And feeble Flesh his warrior’s steed.

His camp is pitchèd in a stall, His bulwark but a broken wall; The crib his trench, haystalks his stakes; Of shepherds he his muster makes; And thus, as sure his foe to wound, The angels’ trumps alarum sound.

[1] This instrumental movement is a harp solo, creating a sense of angelic bliss with its slow tempo, shifting rhythm, and progressively soft nature.

Its structure is a fairly faithful reharmonization of the Procession and Recession movement over the Wolcum Yole opening motif, and recast in 12/8 time.

This movement calls out to the circumstances of the birth of Jesus and employs the choir to sing in a round to create an echoing effect.

[1] Behold, a silly tender babe, in freezing winter night, In homely manger trembling lies Alas, a piteous sight!

This stable is a Prince’s court, This crib his chair of State; The beasts are parcel of his pomp, The wooden dish his plate.

The persons in that poor attire His royal liveries wear; The Prince himself is come from heav’n; This pomp is prizèd there.

With joy approach, O Christian wight, Do homage to thy King, And highly praise his humble pomp, wich he from Heav’n doth bring.

[1] Pleasure it is to hear iwis the Birdès sing, The deer in the dale, the sheep in the vale, the corn springing.

"Adam lay i-bounden" tells of the events that happened in Chapter 3 of Genesis, the "Fall of Man" as Eve is tricked into eating the fruit of sin.

Note the idea of Adam's sin as a 'happy fault,' emphasized by the last stanza - "Blessèd be the time That appil takè was" - introduced by St. Ambrose and St. Augustine and further developed by Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century.

At the end of the piece, a cross can be displayed in the text to signify the crucifixion of Christ as well as the redemption of mankind.