User:The C of E/samtws

, formally titled "The Hymn for Christmas".

Caswall wrote "See, Amid the Winters Snow" shortly after leaving the Church of England and joining the Catholic Oxford Movement and the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri. In 1871, John Goss wrote the tune "Humility" specifically for the carol. Later in the year Bramley and Stainer selected "See, Amid the Winters Snow" to be published nationwide in their "Christmas Carols Old and New" book. It was selected to be included in "Christmas Carols Old and New" as one of the carols that had "proved their hold upon the popular mind". While the hymn became popular, a number of verses were cut from later publications of "See, Amid the Winters Snow". This includes the original final verse about the Virgin Mary, which was often cut out of non-Catholic hymnals. Edward Dalziel used the words of the hymn below an engraving of downland with animals, even though the engraving did not have any snow in it.

Composition
"See, Amid the Winters Snow" was initially composed with seven verses of four lines with a chorus after each one. The chorus' line calls for the listener to "Sing through all Jerusalem, Christ is born in Bethlehem". Several hymnbooks do not use all seven verses. Goss gave advice in the music that the carol would be best performed solo by a "Treble or Tenor or, alternatively". Writer, J.R. Watson commented on study of the hymn that was an example of Caswell's objectivity. He also stated that the hymn develops a dialogue with the singers and the shepherds collectively rather than individually. Aled Jones commented that the usage of snow in the carol was a message of purity against the sins of the world.