The reputation of Franz Liszt as a virtuoso concert artist, composer, and teacher looms large in the minds of every piano student. Listeners left his concerts in awe of the scope of his technical prowess as well as in his ability to evoke powerful emotional responses. Clara Schumann wrote, "When I heard Liszt for the first time in Vienna, I just couldn't control myself, I sobbed freely with emotion."

Thomas Cole's canvas holds a similar power, if for no other reason than its enormous size. It measures more than eight by fifteen feet covering completely the wall of the gallery in which it is displayed. Both Liszt and Cole chose the popular subject of Christ's birth as the subject for their artworks and both employed familiar symbols, Liszt the well-known carol In dulci jubilo, to ensure an immediate response from listeners and viewers alike.