In the Bleak Midwinter
“In the Bleak Midwinter” also sits on my Favorite Christmas Carols list. Back in my church gig days, I sang several settings for the poem by Christina Rosetti, but my favorite setting will always be Gustav Holst’s. (Jump to the song.) Growing up, I read many of Rosetti’s poems. I initially liked her because we shared the same first name, but the more I read her poetry, the more I loved it. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized that she wrote the words to this song which was just as well – it wasn’t until I was an adult that I truly appreciated the message of the song. My daughter is an adult now, but I still remember how hectic things were when she was a baby. Mary’s quiet moment in the hubbub of angels, shepherds, and wisemen is something a lot of mom’s yearn for – especially around the holidays!
Check out my other vocal arrangements and my instrumental music.
In the Bleak Midwinter Video
In the Bleak Midwinter by Gustav Holst & Christina Rosetti
Unlike other settings of Rosetti’s poem, Gustav’s Holst’s hymn setting called “Cranham” was written for congregational singing. While the poem was written around 1871, Holst set it to music and published it in 1906 with it first appearing in The English Hymnal. Rosetti’s poem isn’t without controversy. Literary critics point out that Judea rarely sees snow, but she was instead pulling upon the popularity of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol which associates snow with Christmas. Other scholars believe that she wasn’t literally going for snow, but instead creating a metaphor for a “harsh spiritual landscape.”
I wanted my arrangement to feel a little mysterious and also feature the angels. I used an underlayment of heavily processed guitar slides and a synth to set the mood.
Lyrics
In the bleak midwinter,
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, Long ago.
Heaven cannot hold Him,
Nor Earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When he comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter,
A stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.
Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air;
But His mother only,
In her maiden bliss,
Worshiped the beloved
With a kiss.
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wiseman,
I would do my part;
Yet what I can, I give Him – Give my heart.