O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O Come, O Come Emmanuel carol was originally written in Latin text in the 12th Century. The author of the words and composer to the music of O Come, O Come Emmanuel is unknown. It is, however believed that the melody was of French origin and added to the text a hundred years later. The Latin was translated into English by John Mason Neale in 1851.

With its haunting minor melody, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is a much-loved Advent hymn. Each night, for seven days before Christmas, the church would sing one of the "Great O Antiphons"-anthems sung to a short verse.

The word "antiphon" implies that the lines of each anthem were sung alternately by two choirs sitting opposite each other in the chancel. Each antiphon featured a prayer beginning with "O Come" and including an Old Testament reference for the Messiah.




1st verse  Tenor solo singing the melody line:

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel.

That mourns in lonely exile here,

Until the Son of God appear

All tenors singing the melody line:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

2nd verse  Basses and Tenors singing the bass and tenor lines together:

O come, thou rod of Jesus, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny

From depths of hell thy people save

And give them victory o'er the grave.

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

3rd verse  Sopranos and Altos sing their parts while Tenors and Basses 'Ooooh' theirs:

O come, thou Day spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

4th Verse  Acapella - everyone singing the melody line:

O come, thou key of David, come

And open wide our heav'nly home

Make safe the way that leads on high

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

5th verse  Everyone sing it as written:

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might

Who to thy tribes, on Sinai's height

In ancient times didst give the law

In cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Piano track (plays the song all the way through - as sung in verses 1-4 and then picks up the slight change (tenors) at "shall come to thee, O Israel."

PIANO


  BASS



 TENOR



 ALTO



 SOPRANO