I think I first heard In the Bleak Midwinter on Dan Fogelberg’s 1999 project The First Christmas Morning. If you don’t have this CD, go buy it now. It has a distinct acoustic old-world sound that takes you back to Christmases past. Later, I heard James Taylor’s rendition of the song on the 2004 Hallmark release A Christmas Album. The same cuts, plus or minus a song or two, were released by Columbia in 2006 as James Taylor at Christmas. You should go buy this CD as well. Dan and James both give moving performances of this old carol. I believe the lyrics included here are the original verses. The artists on modern recordings have revised or omitted certain lines or stanzas in order to make the language more current. Either way, they are lovely lyrics set to an equally lovely melody.
In the Bleak Midwinter
Lyrics by Christina G. Rossetti, 1830-1894
Music by Gustav Holst, 1874-1934
In the bleak midwinter, frost 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.
Our God, 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.
Enough for Him, Whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, Whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.
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 Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give him: give my heart.
Link:
Saludos, old friend. In a round-about-way I found your blog. Enjoyed your photos.
The last time we talked you were giving some advice about traveling to Paraguay again. Leanne and I are finally going in for three weeks after school is out. Finally!
Got any more advice. I am buying a new digital camera and will take my laptop…Maybe I can publish something some day. I continue to work on my curriculum for ESL. Still haven’t published it, but probably should.
Write some time Howie
Jerry
We’ve had our first frost of the season here in Pennsylvania, and you know what that means — Christmas music!
Honestly, though, I have more Christmas CDs than I do of non-holiday music, so if I don’t start to listen to them now, I’ll never get through them all by New Years!
Anyway, last Christmas my brother gave me the CD, “James Taylor: The Christmas Album.” I didn’t get a chance to listen to it then, so when I was searching for a Christmas CD to start with this year, I selected this one — something fresh and new!
I’ve never been a big fan of Mr. Taylor — was never very impressed with his voice. But he does a remarkable job on this album. Oh my, it is very, very nice. Quite soulful. I am very impressed.
I was particularly taken with the selection “In the Bleak Midwinter,” and felt sure that I had heard it somewhere before. Whenever it plays on my car CD, I always hit the “repeat” button to hear it a second time.
Thanks to the posting by Nathan’s Uncle, I now remember I first heard it with the Dan Fogelberg recording. I will now look for Mr. Fogelberg’s Christmas CD, especially since Nathan’s Uncle highly recommended it.
Helene,
Thanks so much for leaving such a detailed, meaningful blog comment about my “Bleak Midwinter” post. When I hear from readers such as you, it makes all the time and effort I put into these blogs so worthwhile.
Like you, I have more Christmas CDs than I can possibly play, and I am always on the lookout for more. I love Christmas music and play it “midsummer” if I am in the mood.
It is so fascinating to me how two individuals who live such distant, separate lives can have similar experiences over something so seemingly insignificant as a Christmas carol.
It was cute how you referred to me by my screen name, Nathan’s Uncle. It is the alias I am most proud of. Thanks again, Helene! You made me smile.
Howard
(AKA Nathan’s Uncle)
I don’t know about Fogelberg or Taylor, but I can highly recommend the hymntune by Holst. It is not difficult to play and can be found in the English Carol Book. I would encourage all who know some piano or want to learn to try it out for themselves or with some help. You may find you get more satisfaction out of your expression than these two gents’ renditions.