Camille Saint-Sa�ns (1835-1921) wrote his Oratorio de No�l in a matter of weeks, completing the work ten days before it premiered on Christmas in 1858 in Paris. Written and structured in a style that resembles the oratorios of the early Baroque period, Saint-Sa�ns� study of choral music from composers such as Bach, Handel, Mozart, and others, had a great influence on the work.