IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER-A CHRISTMAS CAROL

My Christmas offering for 2017 - a straightforward traditional Christmas Carol.
Originally quite simply written for Congregational singing using 5 chords (3 major, 2 minor), I have arranged Verses 2 and 3 using slightly different or embellished chords. The Joy of Band In A Box!! This music is in the Public Domain and is not subject to Copyright so I guess is OK to post here.
Its a mix of 2 BB Styles -****** Song Summary *************
Title: IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER2
File:IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER2.SGU
Key=D , Tempo 80, Length (m:s)=3:00
4 bar intro, 54 bar chorus, from bar 5 to bar 58. Repeat x1 chorus
Style is ARPORK44.STY (Orchestral Piano Arpeggios 4/4)
Style MIDI Instruments are : Acoustic String Bass (33), Acoustic Piano (1), French Horn (61), Slow Strings (50),
RealTracks in song: ~365:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 085
MIDI Drums :1 Standard Drum Kit (1) – for Lead in only
and also Style “Hymn_4_4” simply to get the midi Church Organ sections.
Tracks exported as individual wavs to my old DAW and mixed there.
IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER - https://app.box.com/s/wb8aojwbb7sfwx935qk7lbvimmz812ue

Main SGU for the backing track is available here if anyone is interested - https://app.box.com/s/8ohch8f8p7sa16h5td9g58ohm3k1o8hz

Or the BT itself - https://app.box.com/s/qk5lfylyg7rpp4s9dzqadnzu9zx21us6

Wishing you a Happy Christmas and a happy, healthy, loving and musical 2018
Ian

Nicely done, Ian.

Gorgeous tone on your guitar.

Very pretty Ian!! I maybe wrong but it seems that the last time we saw you "around these parts" was with an instrumental Christmas tune. This is beautifully done!! Merry Xmas! Take care. Greg

Nice work. The first time I heard this song was on the Cakewalk forum where one of the cakers from the UK posted it. It's a cool song. Love the Tine Thing Helseth version of this too ... just saying.

Really nice harmony chords in this version of yours. There was one glitch, sounds like a missed note at 1:08 but aside from that, very well done.

Since I have "discovered" this song, the season just isn't the same without hearing it. And you're the first Christmas season song this year... so... well done.

Simply gorgeous

Very nice. Guitar sounds excellent. Well done...

Wonderful wonderful wonderful stuff Ian. Happy Christmas!

You nailed this, Ian! I really enjoyed the somber mood of this. It's a beautiful tune, and you can hear a lot of emotion behind it.

Great job, and thanks so much for sharing

Ian,
A lovely rendition of one of my Christmas favourites.
Thank you!

Robert

excellent guitar playing. Very nice.
Sergio

Hello Everyone and thank you so much for taking the time to listen to this lovely traditional Christmas tune. It is very much appreciated. I use BIAB a lot but I seldom can post as it mainly makes Cover BTs for my guitar Sets and copyright applies.
Herb - you have good ears, my friend. It was a very slightly mis-picked double note and I thought I'd got away with it! lol! That'll teach me to be complacent. ;-)
Greg - Apart from working with the amazing Joanne Cooper on "Song Of Bernadette", I think you are right and it was "Away In A Manger" that last trod these boards.
Floyd and Scott C - thanks so much - you just got to love the tone of that Strat!!
Happy Christmas all
Ian

I love this song. I will listen to your version tonight (audio links blocked from work). We'll be singing it for church service this Sunday. My favorite rendition is Julie Andrews version - beautiful, stark, and moving.

I look forward to listening to your version of this great Christmas song.

John
And we'll be singing it on Christmas Night at our "Midnight Service" along with my all time favourite Christmas song - "Silent Night".
I hope you like my interpretation. Fingers Crossed.
Ian

Hello Ian.

Great arrangement and backing for that clean and clear style of yours.
Very Christmas.

Cheers.

Dear "sixchannel"...

Here I am, not an overtly "religious" person, but aware of the presence of a Creator, nonetheless, and listening to your BIAB rendition of a Christmas carol, "In The Bleak Midwinter". And I realize suddenly that the music is awakening a spiritual response in me that is strong enough to cause me recall a biblical passage: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

This is an exquisite piece of music that shows off the potential of Band-in-a-Box's orchestral styles, which I have not used. It possesses and expresses all of the seasonal nostalgia of its title along with enough melancholy to bring out the seeming indifference of our Mother Nature as parts of her die a just little bit during her winter sleep.

For an instrumental piece, this song is filled to the brim with all of the emotion that lyrics typically deliver.

Moved,

LOREN

Ian,

WHAT A WONDERFUL RENDITION! yOUR GUITAR SOUNDS FaNTASTIC AND YOUR DELIVERY IS SPOT ON. tOP SHELF ALL THE WAY! THIS IS SO PRETTY!

MERRY CHRISTMAS,

ALAN

Sorry for all caps ... just noticed that.

To our ears this is a wonderful production that showcases your fine guitar.

We appreciate all the work that obviously went into this and thanks for sharing it.

Merry Christmas!

J&B

Sorry for the delay. Being near Christmas, things have got a little "busy".
Hi Rich and thank you for your kind comment. Mmmh - maybe I DO have a Style of playing after all.
Hi Bluage - thank you too. I too am not "overtly religious" - I believe in what I believe. Even though we celebrate the Birth Of Christ at the wrong time date wise its the only opportunity we get to do it. So, I love all the Carol singing. Some of the best music in the World. And Winter is not a time of Death for Mother Earth. I remember my 6 year old daughter (now long grown up) being so upset at the thought of the trees and plants losing their leaves and flowers and "Dying" as Autumn came in. I told her that it was the time that they did NOT die but just threw off their old clothes that they'd been wearing all year and got down under the soil to make new ones for Spring. Bless her, she passed that on to HER daughter when she was a similar age.
Hi Al - CAPS no problem ! lol. Thank you for your kind words. Bleak Midwinter is one of my 3 favourite Christmas carols.
Hi Janice, Hi Bud - Yes, a fair bit of work went into it. I love the BB midi Orchestral styles and wish that there were RT equivalents. Initially I tried it with the BB midi Oohs and Aahs in the mix but they sounded bad. I'm hoping that the new 2018 RTs will address that. Thank you for your kind feedback.
Happy Christmas
Ian

Delightfully done.I love traditionnal Carols and this is beautiful.I have downloaded yr sgu(luv the chord changes)and the BT cos I'm going to scare the kids Christmas day and sing it!Have a happy Christmas everyone.
Wendy

I finally got back to listen to this. Excellent job on such a wonderful song.

Originally Posted By: sixchannel

Hi Bluage - thank you too. I too am not "overtly religious" - I believe in what I believe. Even though we celebrate the Birth Of Christ at the wrong time date wise its the only opportunity we get to do it. So, I love all the Carol singing. Some of the best music in the World. And Winter is not a time of Death for Mother Earth. I remember my 6 year old daughter (now long grown up) being so upset at the thought of the trees and plants losing their leaves and flowers and "Dying" as Autumn came in. I told her that it was the time that they did NOT die but just threw off their old clothes that they'd been wearing all year and got down under the soil to make new ones for Spring. Bless her, she passed that on to HER daughter when she was a similar age.

Dear Ian:

Your explanation of the winter season to your daughter could inspire a song. Regeneration, not death, surely is accurate and true, because if any part of our Mother Nature died, we wouldn't be here.

Beautifully put, sir. Thank you for enlightening me!

Most sincerely,

LOREN

Hi Wendy and John and thank you for listening.
John - I'm glad that you approve. Thank you for your kind comment.
Wendy - I'm sure the kids wont be scared. Get them to join in!!! Its only 3 verses of the 5 in the Carol so you'll have to decide WHICH ones you are going to sing - for me 1, 2 and 5, with that soto voce ending repeating of the last line. Knock 'em out!

Originally Posted By: bluage

Originally Posted By: sixchannel

Hi Bluage - thank you too. I too am not "overtly religious" - I believe in what I believe. Even though we celebrate the Birth Of Christ at the wrong time date wise its the only opportunity we get to do it. So, I love all the Carol singing. Some of the best music in the World. And Winter is not a time of Death for Mother Earth. I remember my 6 year old daughter (now long grown up) being so upset at the thought of the trees and plants losing their leaves and flowers and "Dying" as Autumn came in. I told her that it was the time that they did NOT die but just threw off their old clothes that they'd been wearing all year and got down under the soil to make new ones for Spring. Bless her, she passed that on to HER daughter when she was a similar age.

Dear Ian:

Your explanation of the winter season to your daughter could inspire a song. Regeneration, not death, surely is accurate and true, because if any part of our Mother Nature died, we wouldn't be here.

Beautifully put, sir. Thank you for enlightening me!

Most sincerely,

LOREN

Loren, you are most welcome. Thank you for your reply. I hope that when we are gone and Freya, our daughter's daughter has children of her own, that she also tells them this little story.
Happy Christmas
Ian

Merry Christmas Ian. Sounds really nice. An excellent version, Tom

Hi Tom
Thank you for your kind comments.
Merry Christmas.
Ian

Hi, sounds nice. Moreover, as it is Christmas, I suppose Dvorak in heaven will forgive you that you borrowed bits from his Largo (New World Symphony) :-) But do not worry, Roger Cook and Don Williams took it all and as far as I know never acknowledged the credit to him.

Hey this sounds really great!

Did you play the lead guitar line? If so, what kind of guitar was that. It sounds wonderful.

Did not see it listed in tracks.

Merry Christmas.

Ian,

This is wonderful! Happy Christmas to you and yours.

Regards,

Bob

For our Blue Christmas/Longest Night church service this past Wednesday evening, me and my organist switched roles and she sang this beautiful hymn with me accompanying her on piano.

Hi, Ian ol´friend !

How lovely isn´t your play
of this beautiful tune !
A tune so well suited
for slowing in before
X-mas !:))

The best of X-mases
and New Years to you and Val !

Cheers
Dani

Hi Mik9 - thank you for your kind words. I guess its Gustav Holst who owes Dvorak as Holst is credited with the melody in 1906.
Hi David - yes the Lead line is all me. The guitar is a 2006 hand built Strat to my Spec -
Such a sweet sounding guitar - a real "Lady".

Hi Bob - thank you and Merry Christmas to you and all your family.
Hi John - I'm hoping that the Choir sing this at tonights Midnight Service.
Hi Dani - good to hear from you. I hope all goes well in the Frozen North. Thank you for your very kind comments.
Happy Christmas to all.
Ian

Originally Posted By: sixchannel

Hi Mik9 - thank you for your kind words. I guess its Gustav Holst who owes Dvorak as Holst is credited with the melody in 1906.

Hi sixchannel, thanks for this additional info. I overlooked that you stated "traditional" and thought it was your own; anyway, it was just fun:-) Moreover, I did not recognize it as traditional as my knowledge of anglo-american carols is just brief; we have plenty of good Czech carols so only the most popular foreign ones can take share here.

Merry Christmas to all and, as newbie with BiaB, I am looking forward to exchange creative ideas and technical knowledge here on the forum in the next year.

Good job Ian! The song just gets prettier as it goes along! I like the way you kept adding instrumentation as it progresses! Thanks, Torrey

Thank you, Torrey.
Have a great New Year.
Ian