In the Bleak Midwinter
music by Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
arranged by Neal Corwell

Instrumentation: solo (euph, tenor trombone, bass trombone, tuba or trumpet) with piano accompaniment. Solo parts provided in bass clef and B-flat treble, plus a separate part for tuba or bass trombone.
Copyright: 2018
Duration: Total Time: 4:30
Range: G to b-flat1
Difficulty: II-III
Publisher: Nicolai Music
Price: $15 for solo with piano version
Other Info: Was premiered by Neal Corwell, with Kathryn Sincell-Corwell as accompanist, during a recital presented on Feb.22, 2018 in Clear Spring, Maryland.

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The text for the quiet and evocative Christmas carol In the Bleak Midwinter was written by Christina Rossetti in 1872. One of the best known musical settings of the text is the one composed by Gustav Holst and published in 1906. It is the lovely setting by this British composer that inspired Neal Corwell to create a version for wind soloist with piano.

The text of the first verse paints the image of a cold, desolate, frozen landscape. One way this is reflected in the music is through the use of a brief 6-note musical motive, which is intended to be suggestive of ice and crisp frosty air. This motive was not part of Holst’s hymn-like setting, but instead is a contribution of the arranger. After its first statement in the ninth bar, this motive subsequently appears throughout the arrangement in various guises, adding an extra element of cohesiveness to the whole.

Three complete statements of the melody are presented. The first verse begins quietly, but builds to a climax which sets the stage for the bold second verse. A mood-changing transition then leads the listener to the ethereal third verse, during which the piano states the melody simply and clearly, while the soloist adds a delicate counter-melody. During the coda, the soloist lingers, holding a long soft sustained note as the piano quietly states the motivic material from the introduction. Both fade away into the distance as the arrangement draws to a close.

The text for the first verse is as follows:

In the Bleak Midwinter, 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 midwinter, Long ago.