Who composed the tune "Humility" for "See, amid the Winter's Snow"?

John Goss composed the tune “Humility” for “See, amid the Winter’s Snow.”

The words were written by Edward Caswall and first published in 1858 in his collection The Masque of Mary and Other Poems. Caswall had recently joined the Roman Catholic Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, and the carol reflects that devotional setting.

Goss wrote “Humility” specifically for the carol in 1871. It was then published in Christmas Carols New and Old, the influential anthology edited by Henry Ramsden Bramley and John Stainer. That editorial connection explains a common mix-up: Stainer helped publish the collection, but he did not compose the tune.

Sir John Goss was an English organist, teacher and church composer who served as organist of St Paul’s Cathedral. His other best-known hymn tune is “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven.” “Humility” is therefore the melody’s title, while “See, amid the Winter’s Snow” is the carol’s title.