Winter, with its crisp air, quiet beauty, and reflective stillness, has long inspired composers to create music that captures the season's atmosphere. Some vocal works mention winter directly in their texts; others are set in snowy landscapes or evoke feelings we often associate with the colder months - introspection, stillness, longing, or light in the darkness.

Here are ten classical vocal works that explore winter in all its shades. A note: While not all countries which celebrate Christmas do so during winter, the works in this list do also include Christmas-related ones, as most are from a Northern Hemisphere perspective.

About Me

I'm Kayla Collingwood, a New Zealand-born contralto, educator, and creator based in France. Much of my work centres on helping people connect more deeply with music - whether through voice lessons, classical music immersion sessions, or accessible content that brings art song and opera to life.

I'm especially passionate about making repertoire feel human and relatable: exploring its poetry, history, and atmospheric world so listeners and musicians alike can experience it more vividly. When I'm not teaching or performing, you'll usually find me brainstorming or working on new materials, enjoying a coffee in a cosy café, or travelling!

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The Works

1. Francis Poulenc – Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël

Poulenc's four shimmering Christmas motets capture a wide range of winter moods: mystery, joy, tenderness, and radiance. Each motet sets a different sacred text connected to the Nativity, combining clarity with that unmistakable Poulenc warmth.

2. Margaret Bonds – The Ballad of the Brown King

A landmark collaboration between Margaret Bonds and Langston Hughes, this work reframes the Nativity by centring Balthazar, the African king. Its vibrant harmonies and rhythmic vitality create a glowing, colourful sound world perfect for winter listening.

3. Gustav Holst – In the Bleak Midwinter (choral version)

A winter classic. Holst's setting of Christina Rossetti's poem evokes frosty landscapes and quiet contemplation. Its simple, hymn-like melody creates a sense of peaceful stillness, perfect for midwinter evenings.

4. Franz Schubert – “Der Lindenbaum” (from Winterreise)

Perhaps the most iconic winter art song of all time, "Der Lindenbaum" blends nostalgia with the chill of a snowy landscape. The traveller's encounter with the frozen linden tree is both comforting and heartbreaking, embodying the emotional landscape of the entire cycle.

English translation:

By the well, before the gate,

stands a linden tree;

in its shade I dreamt

many a sweet dream.

In its bark I carved

many a word of love;

in joy and sorrow

I was ever drawn to it.

Today, too, I had to walk

past it at dead of night;

even in the darkness

I closed my eyes.

And its branches rustled

as if they were calling to me:

‘Come to me, friend,

here you will find rest.’

The cold wind blew

straight into my face,

my hat flew from my head;

I did not turn back.

Now I am many hours’ journey

from that place;

yet I still hear the rustling:

‘There you would find rest.’

5. Benjamin Britten – A Ceremony of Carols

Written during a wartime sea voyage, Britten's A Ceremony of Carols weaves mediaeval and Renaissance texts into a luminous work for treble voices and harp. The framing plainchant processional creates a sense of ancient ritual, while inner movements like "Balulalow" and "This Little Babe" showcase Britten's gift for capturing both innocence and intensity. The harp's crystalline sound evokes frost and candlelight in equal measure.

6. Hugo Wolf – "Wiegenlied im Winter"

Wolf's "Lullaby in Winter" sets a tender text that captures the protective warmth of home against the cold winter night outside. The gentle rocking motion in the piano evokes a mother singing to her child, while subtle harmonic shifts remind us of the winter darkness beyond the nursery walls. It's an intimate portrayal of winter's contrast between cold exterior and warm interior spaces - both physical and emotional.

7. Jules Massenet – "Pourquoi me réveiller" from Werther

In this devastating aria from Act III, Werther reads from Ossian's poems on a bleak Christmas Eve. He questions why spring must awaken nature when his own life feels frozen in despair. Massenet's soaring melody and rich orchestration create one of opera's most achingly beautiful moments - a meditation on seasonal renewal that only deepens the character's sense of hopelessness.

English translation:

Why do you awaken me?

o breath of Spring?

Why do you awaken me?

On my forehead I feel your caresses,

and yet very near is the time

of storms and sorrows!

Why do you awaken me,

o breath of Spring?

Tomorrow, into the valley

will come the traveller

remembering my early glory

And his eyes in vain

will look for my splendor.

They will find no more than grief

and misery. Alas!

Why do you awaken me,

o breath of Spring!

8. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – "Lensky's Aria" from Eugene Onegin

Lensky sings this haunting aria on the eve of his duel with Onegin, wondering if he'll see another day. Set in winter (the duel takes place at dawn in the snow), this aria captures youthful melancholy and the fragility of life against a frozen landscape. The orchestral prelude evokes the cold morning air, whilst Lensky's lines express both tenderness and despair.

English translation:

Where have you gone, o golden days of my spring?

What does the day coming has in store for me?

It escapes my eyes, it is hidden!

Shall I fall to the deadly arrow, or will it pass by?

All for better, there is a pre-determined time

For life and for sleep

Blessed is a day of simple tasks

And blessed is the day of troubles.

Will the day beam shine in the morning

And the bright day shall reign

And I, well, will I, perhaps, will descent

Into mysterious darkness of my fatal tomb?

And the memory of a strange poet will fall into Abyss

The world shall forget me, but you, you, Olga!

Tell me, will you, the maiden of beauty, come to shed a tear

Over the early urn

And think “he loved me, he devoted to me

The gloomy dawn of a troubled life!”

Ah Olga, I did love you,

To you alone I devoted

The gloomy dawn of my troubled life

Yes Olga, I did love you!

My wonderful friend, my dear friend,

Come, for I am your husband, etc.

Where have you gone, o golden days of my spring?

9. Lee Hoiby – "Winter Song"

Lee Hoiby's "Winter Song" sets a poignant text by Witter Bynner that transforms autumn's fallen leaves into a meditation on time, beauty, and love. The imagery is striking: autumn colours swept to heaven, then falling back as flames through snow-drifts at Christmastide. The second stanza turns deeply personal, as summer's golden beauty fades from a beloved face, only to be replaced by "paler beauty" and the promise of enduring love. Hoiby's lyrical vocal line and rich piano writing create a work of intimate tenderness and profound depth.

10. Ola Gjeilo – Northern Lights

Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo's "Northern Lights" captures the ethereal beauty of the aurora borealis through shimmering vocal textures and luminous harmonies. The work evokes the magical quality of winter's most spectacular natural phenomenon - those dancing curtains of light that illuminate the darkest nights of the northern winter. Gjeilo's signature blend of jazz-influenced harmonies with choral tradition creates a soundscape that feels both ancient and utterly contemporary.

These ten classical vocal music works offer a varied exploration of winter's musical tapestry. Interested in discovering more classical music or more vocal repertoire? Book a 1:1 Classical Music Immersion session or singing lesson with me!