The words, a poem by Christina Rosetti:
1. 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 mid-winter
Long ago.
2. 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.
3. Enough for Him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breast full of milk
And a manger full of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.
4. Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air,
But only His mother
In her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.
5. 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.
About the Choir of King's College:
The Choir of King's College, Cambridge is one of today's most accomplished and renowned representatives of the great British choral tradition. It was created by King Henry VI, who founded King's College, Cambridge in 1441, to provide daily singing in his Chapel, which remains the main task of the choir to this day...
Years ago, while vacationing in London, I visited Westminster Abbey. It so happened that while there the boy's choir was practicing. It was quite remarkable.
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful. Love Christmas music. The message delivered with the gifts God gave the musicians, no better way to honor Him.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
Right Truth
http://www.righttruth.typepad.com
Beautiful post!
ReplyDeleteNow THAT is the manifest ideal to which all choral organization ought to aspire.
ReplyDeleteI spent a week in Cambridge in 1976, and will ever forget the experience of listening to the boys rehearse under the direction of David Willcocks in the architectural grandeur of Kings College Chapel -- a magnificent, soaring edifice of stained glass held together by what-appears-to-be arching fan-shaped vaults made of delicate stone lace.
FANTASTIC!
What a joy it is to hear the closest thing to absolute perfection we might attain on earth.