"In the bleak midwinter" [Cheryl Camm]

"In the bleak midwinter" [Cheryl Camm]

First line of lyrics: In the bleak mid-winter

Camm, Cheryl; music (English, born 1964)

Rossetti, Christina Georgina; text (English, 1830-1894)

1996

genre: choral music|carol|Christmas music|song|sacred music

chorus: men's TBB chorus

initial sharps/flats: three sharps

initial time signature: 6/8

other version 1 - chorus: SSA chorus

other version 1 - initial sharps/flats: two sharps

other version 2 - chorus: mixed chorus

other version 2 - initial sharps/flats: no sharps or flats

other version 3 - chorus: SATB chorus

other version 3 - instrumentation: brass ensemble

other version 3 - initial sharps/flats: no sharps or flats

origin: New Zealand

female composer

English

Rossetti poem(s): "A Christmas Carol" ("In the bleak mid-winter")

Composition history: "Following a request for 'something simple about the winter that we can learn in one rehearsal,' I initially cobbled it together, one verse only about 20 years ago as a single line song with piano accompaniment for primary school children in Auckland, New Zealand. When I went to live in Dunedin, I added a descant and I used to warble it gleefully with my friends Carole and Tracey at the Dunedin College of Education. I added a 3rd part and arranged it for Otago Boys’ High School choir – in those days conducted by none other than Jonathan Lemalu. It was also performed at that time and in that version by the men from Southern Consort of Voices, under the direction of Jack Speirs" (Cheryl Camm).

Tempo markings: "Gently"

Recordings: "In The Bleak Midwinter (TBB), Cheryl Camm." YouTube, uploaded by seapieparcel, 13 Nov. 2013, https://youtu.be/HWAaZfQR9xo.

Format 1: musical score

2 pages; performance time 2-3 minutes

Other data reference(s): Camm, Cheryl. "The Story of 'In the Bleak Midwinter.'" Cheryl Camm, https://cherylcamm.co.uk/bleak-midwinter/?v=3e8d115eb4b3. Accessed 22 January 2020.
Record for "In the bleak midwinter." National Library of New Zealand Wellington, https://natlib-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1s57t7d/NLNZ_ALMA21196498560002836. Accessed 30 Jan 2019.

Cataloguer: Emily McConkey, University of Ottawa

musical score for TTB chorus: Morriset Library, University of Ottawa, Ottawa

This score is copyright protected. A score can be consulted here: "In the Bleak Midwinter (for low voices)." Cheryl Camm, https://cherylcamm.co.uk/scores/in-the-bleak-midwinter-2/?v=3e8d115eb4b3. Accessed 9 Dec. 2020.

Record: CRM-christmascarolinthebleak-camm

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