'Tis Winter Now
SATB choral score
PEL2013 -Choir Unaccompanied
AN ARRANGEMENT FOR SATB CHOIR UNACCOMPANIED.
An arrangement for SATB choir (with divisi)of a traditional English melody and the evocative text by Samuel Longfellow. An apparently simple and austere setting which requires excellent tuning to make an effective presentation. Held notes hang in the air like crystals.
Video
Notes
Included on the recording "What Child Is This?" with Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus, directed by Paul Halley (PEL1005)
Texts
‘Tis Winter Now
Words: Samuel Longfellow (1819-1892)
Music: Traditional English, arranged by Paul Halley
‘Tis winter now; the fallen snow
Has left the heavens all coldly clear;
Through leafless boughs the sharp winds blow,
And all the earth lies dead and drear.
And yet God’s love is not withdrawn;
His life within the keen air breathes;
His beauty paints the crimson dawn,
And clothes the boughs with glittering wreaths.
And though abroad the sharp winds blow,
And skies are chill, and frosts are keen,
Home closer draws her circle now,
And warmer glows her light within.
O God! who gives the winter’s cold,
As well as summer’s joyous rays,
Us warmly in thy love enfold,
And keep us through life’s wintry days.
Reviews
“Longfellow’s poem is a richly atmospheric text not specifically tied to Christmas, but quite handy for a cold week sometime after Epiphany when a ‘general’ anthem seems to be in need. Global warming may soon put this piece out of business, but until it does, Halley’s setting evokes the frigid air as effectively as anything since Vivaldi’s fourth Season.” - The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians
