2020 and Beyond
This wide array of settings and arrangements indicates the flexibility of Rossetti’s 1872 poem. Time and again artists continue to reinterpret its words through music– the creative possibilities seem limitless. Its themes of solidarity, uncertainty, and light in darkness carry a particular flavour in this present moment.
It’s an understatement to say that this year’s holiday season is going to look different. As the days grow shorter and the pandemic wanes on, “In the bleak mid-winter” offers consolation and inspiration to listeners and musicians alike. We've seen a few new settings of "In the Bleak Mid-winter" this year (James Blakes' is a favourite), but Jamie Cullum's use of the carol resonates quite distinctly with life in 2020. Cullum shared his arrangement of the carol on December 3, 2020.
On December 9th, he hosted a virtual music lesson in which he taught "In the Bleak Midwinter" on the piano to all those who registered and tuned in! He was hoping to set a record for the largest music lesson ever held.
In the video recording of the lesson (below), Cullum explains that he chose "In the bleak midwinter" for its familiarity and simplicity: "it's a tune we all know; it's a Christmas carol that's in our bones." He teaches the simple melody first, and then, with the help of guest musicians such as Dodie and Sigrid, guides those watching on how to "interpret [the tune] in your own way." As these musicians perform their own versions of the song, Cullum demonstrates how music can reshape the meaning and mood of the song. This idea harkens back to the passage from Elizabeth Helsinger quoted at the beginning of this exhibit: "As song it is subject to perpetual reshaping [...] It becomes the possession of those who sing and hear it, perhaps no longer associated with a poet (or composer) at all" (Helsinger 669).
According to Evening Express, Cullum broke the Guinness World Record for the largest music lesson ever held. 2,282 people attending the virtual piano lesson to raise money for the charity Age UK. Cullum's emphasis on improvisation makes us wonder how many of those who tuned in may have devised their own distinct interpretations of Rossetti's tune, even without knowledge of its origins. It's a testament to the fact that the creation and discovery of musical settings is an endless pursuit!
To discover more musical settings, consult our list of poems, which includes "A Christmas Carol" ("In the bleak mid-winter").
If you are aware of a composition that is not yet included on this website or have access to a score that is not yet available here, please contact us. 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.
for your listening pleasure...
This selection of Holst and Darke arrangements is provided by the author of the commentary, Emily McConkey, University of Ottawa.
Sources:
Helsinger, Elizabeth. "Poem Into Song." New Literary History, vol. 46, no. 4, 2015, pp. 669-690. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/nlh.2015.0044.