The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #31533 Message #2800853
Posted By: Surreysinger
01-Jan-10 - 01:05 PM
Thread Name: Origins: In the Bleak Midwinter
Subject: RE: In the Bleak Midwinter
Sorry - can't agree. The Darke version was the only one I had ever sung until I joined adult choirs in the 1970's. As far as I am concerned it's the PROPER tune to the poem. I find the Holst rather sweet and to be frank twee... give me the Darke version every time. Unfortunately, you don't hear it that often, as everyone usually "does" the Holst version and makes a complete hash of it. Having had to sing it over the years in various choirs I can't say that I have ever found the "Our God heaven cannot hold him" a particular problem. It's just a rather ugly line which is never going to sit too well with whichever tune is used,and the problem doesn't lie with the first two words but with the word heaven, the last vowel of which needs to be thrown away rather than pronounced. There's more of a problem with what to do with the word "iron" in the first verse IMHO! Thanks for the Winchester video of the Darke version by the way, even if it is rather a strange one (why do they hang onto the word LONG so long in the first verse - certainly not the way it's written!)