In the Bleak Midwinter explained

"In the Bleak Midwinter" is a poem by the English poet Christina Rossetti. It was published under the title "A Christmas Carol" in the January 1872 issue of Scribner's Monthly,[1] [2] and first collected in book form in Goblin Market, The Prince's Progress and Other Poems (Macmillan, 1875).

It has been set to music several times. Two settings, those by Gustav Holst and by Harold Darke, are popular and often sung as Christmas carols. Holst's is a hymn tune called Cranham, published in 1906 in The English Hymnal and simple enough to be sung by a congregation. Darke's is an anthem composed in 1909 and intended for a trained choir; it was named the best Christmas carol in a 2008 poll of leading choirmasters and choral experts.[3]

Analysis

In verse one, Rossetti describes the physical circumstances of the Incarnation in Bethlehem. In verse two, Rossetti contrasts Christ's first and second coming.

The third verse dwells on Christ's birth and describes the simple surroundings, in a humble stable and watched by beasts of burden. Rossetti achieves another contrast in the fourth verse, this time between the incorporeal angels attendant at Christ's birth with Mary's ability to render Jesus physical affection. The final verse shifts the description to a more introspective thought process.

Hymnologist and theologian Ian Bradley has questioned the poem's theology: "Is it right to say that heaven cannot hold God, nor the earth sustain, and what about heaven and earth fleeing away when he comes to reign?", which he considers not justified by scripture. He concedes that the image of a heaven unable to contain God, could be read as a "bold and original attempt to express the mysterious paradox at the heart of the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation".[4] [5]

Several writers have conversely pointed to scriptural precedent for the lines that Bradley finds questionable.[6] [7] Professor of Historical Theology, John Mulder, with his coauthor and fellow Presbyterian minister, F. Morgan Roberts, commented that Rossetti's lines "Heaven and earth shall flee away, When He comes to reign" accord with the apocalyptic account of the second coming in Revelation 21:1: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away."[8]

Guidance on the hymn, provided by the Methodist Church UK for their churches, notes that Solomon asks a similarly-phrased question in "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you..." when he dedicates the temple. It also points to 2 Peter 3:10–11 as New Testament support for the phrase "heaven and earth shall flee away":[9]

Settings

The text of this Christmas poem has been set to music many times. Two of the most famous settings were composed by Gustav Holst and Harold Darke in the early 20th century.

Holst

Holst's setting, Cranham, is a hymn tune setting suitable for congregational singing, since the poem is irregular in metre and any setting of it requires a skilful and adaptable tune.[6] The hymn is titled after Cranham, Gloucestershire and was written for the English Hymnal of 1906.[10] [11] \relative \addlyrics

Darke

The Darke setting was written in 1909 while he was a student at the Royal College of Music. Although melodically similar, it is more advanced; each verse is treated slightly differently, with solos for soprano and tenor (or a group of sopranos and tenors) and a delicate organ accompaniment. This version is favoured by cathedral choirs and is the one usually heard performed on the radio broadcasts of Nine Lessons and Carols by the King's College Choir. Darke served as conductor of the choir during World War II.[12] \transpose c bes, \relative \addlyrics Darke omits verse four of Rossetti's original, and bowdlerizes Rossetti's "a breastful of milk" to "a heart full of mirth",[13] although later editions reversed this change. Darke also repeats the last line of the final verse. Darke would complain, however, that the popularity of this tune prevented people from performing his other compositions, and rarely performed it outside of Christmas services.[14]

In 2016, the Darke setting was used in a multitrack rearrangement of the song by music producer Jacob Collier. It features contemporary compositional techniques such as microtonality.[15]

Other settings

Benjamin Britten includes an elaborate five-part setting of the first verse for high voices (combined with the medieval Corpus Christi Carol) in his work A Boy was Born.

Other settings include those by Robert C. L. Watson, Bruce Montgomery, Bob Chilcott, Michael John Trotta, Robert Walker,[16] Eric Thiman, who wrote a setting for solo voice and piano, and Leonard Lehrman.[17]

In popular culture

See also

Notes

Biblical verses cited

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Petersen, Randy . Be Still, My Soul: The Inspiring Stories behind 175 of the Most-Loved Hymns . 2014 . Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. . 9781414388427 . 145 . 4 October 2019.
  2. Rossetti . Christina G. . January 1872 . A Christmas Carol . New York . Scribner & Co. . iii . 3 . 278 . Scribner's Monthly.
  3. News: 27 November 2008 . 'Bleak Midwinter' named best carol . BBC News . 26 November 2014.
  4. News: Christiansen . Rupert . Rupert Christiansen . 14 December 2007 . The story behind the carol: 'In the bleak midwinter' . . London . 26 November 2014 .
  5. Book: Bradley . Ian C. . The Penguin Book of Carols . 1999 . Penguin . New York . 978-0-14-027526-1 . 154–157 . 154 . 38 'In the Bleak Mid-winter' . registration . Ian Bradley . The fact is, of course, that this is not the sort of text that bears or warrants detailed exegesis and analysis. It is a mystical offering by a Victorian poet justly famous for her devotional verse.[...] The image of God as the one that heaven cannot hold could, in fact, be read as a bold and original attempt to express the mysterious paradox at the heart of the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation..
  6. Beall . Mary Kay . Hymn Interpretation: 'In the Bleak Midwinter' . . 4 . 56 . Autumn 2005 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220405031435/https://hymnary.org/files/articles/Beall%2C%20In%20the%20Bleak%20Midwinter.pdf . 5 April 2022 . 47–49.
  7. Book: Mann . Rachel . In the Bleak Midwinter: Advent and Christmas with Christina Rossetti . 2 August 2019 . Canterbury Press . 978-1-78622-162-9 . en . Rachel Mann . Christmas Day.
  8. Book: Mulder . John M. . Roberts . F. Morgan . 28 Carols to Sing at Christmas . 13 October 2015 . Wipf and Stock Publishers . 978-1-4982-0682-2 . 66 . The theology of 'In the Bleak Midwinter' has been questioned. Ian Bradley... has written '[...] ...earth perhaps, but is heaven going to flee at the second coming?' A worthy question perhaps but one ignorant of the biblical vision of John of Patmos... (Rev 21:1) . limited . en.
  9. Web site: The Resource Hub: Hymns – 'In the Bleak Midwinter' (StF 204) . The Methodist Church UK . en.
  10. Book: The English Hymnal . . 1916 . 44.
  11. News: 6 January 2009 . Shnugget: Carols at Cranham . BBC News . 26 November 2014.
  12. Web site: 'In The Bleak Midwinter' . Hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com . 28 December 2015.
  13. Book: Wooton, Janet . This Is Our Song: Women's Hymn-Writing . 7 January 2013 . Wipf & Stock . Eugene, OR . 143. 9781620321294 .
  14. Galaxy Music Corporation: 'In the Bleak Midwinter' by Harold Darke arr. Ronald Arnatt
  15. Web site: 7 pop songs that deploy microtones ingeniously . Classic FM . 7 October 2021 . en.
  16. Web site: Catalogue of Works: Unaccompanied Vocal and Choral . Robert Walker.net . https://web.archive.org/web/20230925085533/http://robert-walker.net/catalogue/unaccompanied-vocal-and-choral . 25 September 2023.
  17. Web site: 'In the bleak midwinter' (Rossetti, set by Harold Edwin Darke, Gustav Holst, Bruce Montgomery, Leonard J[ordan] Lehrman, Michael John Trotta, Mick Swithinbank, Stephen Wilkinson, Benjamin Britten) |url=http://www.lieder.net/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=13949 |date=16 June 2014 |website=Lieder.net |access-date=28 December 2015].
  18. Web site: What are the lyrics to 'In The Bleak Midwinter' – and which version is better? . Classic FM.
  19. Web site: Peaky Blinders: 'In the Bleak Midwinter' secret meaning revealed – why do they say it? . Mitchell . Molli . 15 March 2020 . Express.co.uk.
  20. Web site: The Crown Series Premiere Recap: 'Wolferton Splash'. . 4 November 2016. 9 December 2020.
  21. News: The curious comforts of 'In the Bleak Midwinter'. 21 December 2016. 9 December 2020. The Economist.
  22. Web site: Ghosts Series 3: The Beautiful Message of This Adorably Daft Comedy. 12 August 2021. 9 September 2021 . Den of Geek . Mellor . Louisa.
  23. Web site: BBC . 23 December 2020 . Ghosts: 'The Ghost of Christmas' on BBC . 9 September 2021.
  24. Book: Ondaatje, Michael. In the Skin of a Lion. Picador. 1988. 978-0-330-30183-1. London. 161. English.
  25. Web site: Doctor Who 'A Christmas Carol' (TV Episode 2010) . .

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