Christopher Jobson takes us through one of his favourite Christmas Carols. Among the nation’s favourite Christmas carols, In the Bleak Midwinter is an exquisitely evocative lyric by Christina Rossetti, sister of the celebrated Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti. It was originally published as a poem in a monthly magazine in 1872 and in a book three … Continue reading In the Bleak Midwinter – Christina Rossetti
Tag: Hymn
St. Stephen – 26th December
Good King Wenceslas looked out,On the feast of Stephen. Saint Stephen Thus the famous Christmas carol records the feast day of the first deacon of the Christian Church and the first martyr. All that we know of his life is in the Acts of the Apostles (6-7). He was almost certainly a Greek-speaking Jew, appointed … Continue reading St. Stephen – 26th December
O Come Let Us Adore Him! – (O Come All Ye Faithful)
The history behind this well-loved carol is something of a mystery although common consensus is that it was originally a Latin Christmas hymn, Adeste Fidelis’. It is believed that its first written appearance was down to the actions of manuscript and music copywriter, John Francis Wade (1711-1786) a Roman Catholic. At that time, all … Continue reading O Come Let Us Adore Him! – (O Come All Ye Faithful)