In the Bleak Midwinter facts for kids
"In the Bleak Midwinter" is a famous poem written by the English poet Christina Rossetti. It is often sung as a Christmas carol around the world. The poem was first published in January 1872. Back then, it was called "A Christmas Carol" and appeared in a magazine called Scribner's Monthly. Later, it was included in a book of her poems in 1875.
Two very well-known musical versions of Rossetti's poem were created in the early 1900s. One was composed by Gustav Holst in 1906. The other was written by Harold Darke in 1909. Darke's version is especially popular with choirs. In 2008, many top choirmasters and experts even called it the best Christmas carol.
Contents
The Poem's Words
The poem "A Christmas Carol" describes a cold, snowy winter scene. It then talks about the birth of Jesus Christ in a humble stable. The poem ends with the speaker wondering what gift they can offer. They decide to give their heart.
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In the bleak mid-winter Our God, heaven cannot hold Him |
Enough for Him, whom cherubim Angels and Archangels |
What can I give Him, |
Music for the Poem
Many composers have set Christina Rossetti's Christmas poem to music. The two most famous versions were created by Gustav Holst and Harold Darke. They both wrote their music in the early 1900s.
Gustav Holst's Version
Gustav Holst's musical setting is called Cranham. It is a hymn tune that is easy for groups of people to sing together. The poem's rhythm is a bit unusual, so it needed a clever and flexible tune. Holst named his hymn after Cranham, Gloucestershire, a place in England. He wrote it for a songbook called The English Hymnal in 1906.
Harold Darke's Version
Harold Darke wrote his musical version in 1909. At the time, he was a student at the Royal College of Music. Darke's setting is more complex than Holst's. Each verse of the poem is treated a little differently. It often includes special parts for solo singers, like sopranos and tenors. It also has a gentle organ accompaniment.
This version is very popular with cathedral choirs. It is often heard on radio broadcasts of "Nine Lessons and Carols." The Choir of King's College, Cambridge frequently performs it. Harold Darke even conducted this famous choir during World War II. Darke's original version of the song changed one line of Rossetti's poem. He changed "a breastful of milk" to "a heart full of mirth." However, later editions of his music went back to Rossetti's original words. Darke sometimes felt that his carol was so popular that people didn't perform his other music. He rarely performed it himself outside of Christmas services.
In 2016, music producer Jacob Collier created a new version of Darke's setting. He used modern recording techniques and included special musical elements like microtonality.
Other Musical Settings
Other composers have also created music for "In the Bleak Midwinter." These include Benjamin Britten, who used part of the poem in his work A Boy was Born. Other composers include Robert C L Watson, Bruce Montgomery, Bob Chilcott, Michael John Trotta, Robert Walker, Eric Thiman, and Leonard Lehrman.
In Popular Culture
"In the Bleak Midwinter" has appeared in many popular TV shows and books:
- It is quoted often in the TV series Peaky Blinders.
- The poem appears in the first episode of The Crown season 1.
- Most of the main characters sing the first verse in a Christmas episode of the BBC TV series Ghosts.
- A character named Patrick Lewis remembers the first verse in the novel In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje.
See also
In Spanish: In the Bleak Midwinter para niños
