This fresh arrangement of In the Bleak Midwinter, commissioned as part of a Consortium, is combined with the melodic, rhythmic, and mo.vic content from another beloved carol, Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming. The material from both carols is interwoven among the Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass parts throughout the piece, giving each singer a chance to sing elements of both carols.
This carol would fit well in any holiday-themed concert, Festival of Lessons and Carols, or sacred Christmas and/or Epiphany service.
This piece is the third installment of the ChristMashUp series, which features carol mashups. The first one is What Child Is This (mashed up with Carol of the Bells) & the second one is Joy to the World (combined with Deck the Halls).
In the bleak mid-winter,
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 mid-winter
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 I can I give Him, —
Give my heart.