Christina Rosetti's poem about the night of Jesus's birth has inspired many composers over the years to write many great settings of this text. While I did not feel that my setting of this text would be necessary, at the time I was conducting a small church choir and felt that a simple, unison setting that was easy to learn would be welcome in the repertoire. This setting is almost strophic in nature, with the piano filling out the work with ambiguous harmonies.
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.
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 can I give Him; give my heart.