canasg choral music publishing - In the bleak midwinter

CH4002

In the bleak midwinter

words by Christina Rossetti (1830-94)
set to music by Sheena Phillips

for soprano, alto, tenor and bass chorus performance time approx 3m 30s

Composer's note

I wanted to give Christina Rossetti's famous Christmas text about bleak mid-winter a more truly bleak atmosphere than the more well known settings. This piece depicts the snow as cold and relentless, giving a more awesome slant to the Christmas story of a Saviour's birth. The final verse ('Our God, earth cannot hold him') can be omitted for a shorter piece.

A recording by Rudsambee company of singers (without final verse) is available on the album Dies natalis invicti solis (RUBEECD001).

Music

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Words

In the bleak midwinter

In the bleak mid-winter,
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 mid-winter,
Long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold Him,
Nor earth sustain,
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign;
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.

Christina Rossetti (1830-94)

(extracts from the full poem)

Price

The price of this piece depends on the number of singers in your group. This is a single payment for a licence to make as many copies as you need for your group to rehearse and perform the song as often as you wish. Copies of the song must not be given, lent or sold to any other group.

Number of singers in your group
up to 12 singers	13 to 24 singers	25 singers or more
Ł5 (approx US$8.00)	Ł10 (approx US$16)	Ł15 (approx US$24)
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Companion pieces

Browse the Christmas section of the Canasg catalogue for more songs like this one. To go there now, click on the 'catalogue' box to the right.

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