A Gift for Christmas

This is our gift to you.

A devout Anglican who was a prolific writer of devotional poetry, Christina Rossetti wrote many poems that revolved around the Advent and Christmas seasons. While "A Christmas Carol" ("In the bleak mid-winter") is her most popular of these by far, others such as "Advent" ("This Advent moon shines cold and clear"), "A Christmas Carol" ("Before the paling of the stars"), "A Christmas Carol, for my Godchildren" ("The shepherds had an angel"), and "Christmastide" ("Love came down at Christmas") have been set to music with impressive frequency as well. Still others such as "Advent" ("Earth grown old, yet still so green"), "Christmas Day," and "Christmas Eve" are occasionally set to music. Our collection and study of these musical settings is a work in progress that has only so far scraped the surface; as such, we hope that other researchers may be inspired to explore these settings and analyze their contributions to Rossetti's legacy.

Check this exhibit often for new selections of settings, and be sure to follow us on Twitter or contact us if you are aware of a composition that is not yet included in this website or have access to a score that is not yet available here. In particular, if you are aware of a Christina Rossetti Christmas carol in a foreign language, we would love to hear from you and learn about such settings. We welcome your contributions.

The Christina Rossetti in Music team wishes you a joyful holiday season.