The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #31533   Message #609749
Posted By: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
14-Dec-01 - 01:30 PM
Thread Name: Origins: In the Bleak Midwinter
Subject: RE: BS: in the bleak midwinter
That hyphen is a problem. They were standard in the 19C but for most words were gradually dropped through time.
This song is very popular at Christmas time. People have told me it's old Scots, translated Dutch, etc. The composer of the music, Gustav Holst (English-born in spite of the name) is known for his symphonic works, inc. "The Planets," parts of which show up in films like 2001.