... and this is my favourite carol...
In the bleak midwinter, 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 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,
Worshipped 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.
(Words by Christina Rossetti; music by Gustav Holst; sung by Gloucester Cathedral Choir)
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
Countdown To Christmas (Get Set): In The Bleak Midwinter
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7 comments:
Thnak you, SW
Have thoroughly enjoyed (most) of your Countdown to Christmas!
One of my favourites too Robert - but how could a combination of Holst and Rossetti be anything but perfect. A Happy Christmas to you all.
One of my favorite carols, too. One of my favorite versions is by, of all people, Dan Fogelberg. (This one is really nice, too, BTW.)
I've written a number of pieces about it over the years, usually around how the old "midwinter" came at the solstice, and was indeed considered the middle of winter. Which, for my vote, ought to still be the case.
Love seeing the faces of the people of all ages singing and seeing the sweet peaceful baby listening.
Thanks all - that inclusiveness is the thing I most like about the video, am.
Beautiful carol, SW and the video too.
I also love the Loreena McKennit song and the accounts of its origins.
Beautiful, SW. I clicked on one of the related videos and saw and greatly enjoyed the Kiri Te Kanawa version of this beautiful carol as well. Happy holidays to all!
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