Choral SSA choir, piano
SKU: CF.CM9773
Composed by Brady Weldon.
Duration 2 minutes, 49
seconds. Carl Fischer
Music #CM9773. Published
by Carl Fischer Music
(CF.CM9773).
ISBN
9781491164440. UPC:
680160923342. Key: C#
minor. English. Christina
Rossetti.
In the
bleak midwinter, frosty
wind made moan, Â
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 Earth stood hard as
iron, water like a
stone;Â Â Â Â
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   Snow had
fallen, snow on snow,
snow on snow, Â
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    In the
bleak midwinter, long
ago.What can I give Him,
poor as I am? Â
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  If I were a
shepherd, I would bring a
lamb;Â Â Â Â
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   If I were a
Wise Man, I would do my
part;Â Â Â Â
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  Yet what I can
I give Him: give my
heart.The text from this
beloved poem of Christina
Rossetti
(1830–1894) was
originally published in
an 1872 issue of
Scribner’s
Monthly, under the title
A Christmas Carol. In the
first of its five
stanzas, the speaker
describes in great detail
a bitingly cold winter
scene, void of both
warmth and light. By the
final stanza, the
speaker's thoughts turn
inward, asking what gift
they may offer the infant
Jesus, meek though they
believe themselves to
be.The poem was later set
by English composer
Gustav Holst
(1874–1934) as a
contribution to the
English Hymnal in 1906
and remains the most
popular setting
today.London-born
Rossetti came to be
regarded not only as one
of the greatest female
poets of her time, but as
an outspoken advocate on
several societal issues,
including slavery and
cruelty towards
animals.In this setting,
word painting is of the
utmost importance.
Careful attention to word
stress throughout the
course of the piece will
make the performance all
the more captivating.
Descriptive lines such as
“frosty wind made
moan†should be
conveyed with swelling
crescendos, like frigid
gusts of frozen air.While
this piece features an
original tune, the
beloved Holst melody is
also featured briefly,
beginning in m. 28. Take
care to bring this
out.There are plenty of
other allusions to wintry
scenes scattered
throughout the choral
parts as well as the
accompaniment. I
encourage you to put your
sleuthing
“hats†on and
find them all. It will
make the learning
experience much more
memorable and fun.