December 2024 - "See, Amid the Winter's Snow"

Edward Caswall - ca. 1860

Edward Caswall (1814-1878) was an Anglican clergyman who later converted to Catholicism. Part of his duties as a Catholic priest included writing translations of various Latin texts to be read, and sometimes sung, by the congregation. He soon began writing his own hymns and poems, including “When Morning Gilds the Skies”, “Sleep, Holy Babe”, and “Come, Holy Ghost”. In 1858, while preparing for the upcoming Christmas Eve service, he wrote an original poem titled “See, Amid the Winter’s Snow”. He used the concept of snow as a message of purity against the sins of the world.

About 12 years later, Sir Jon Goss, an English composer, teacher, and organist, came across Caswall’s text while serving as the editor of a new hymn book titled “Christmas Carols Old and New”. He composed a new tune specifically for the text he called “Humility”, and re-titled the carol as “The Hymn for Christmas”. Today it appears in over 500 hymnals and has been translated into more than 30 languages.

Here is a link to a video of the hymn being sung by the Guildford Cathedral Choir:

Enjoy, and wishing you all peace and joy this holiday season!

In music and friendship,

Tull

Costs related to maintaining this website to provide these monthly tabs are increasing. If you can, please consider making a donation to help offset some of these costs. Thank you!