The Hymns and Carols of Christmas

Notes on Veni, Veni, Emmanuel

The O Antiphons

For Advent

Words: Veni, Veni, Emanuel (the "O" Antiphons),
Authorship Unknown, 8th Century Latin;
Published: Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum, Köln, 1710.

Music: "Veni Emmanuel," 15th Century French Plain Song melody,
Arranged and harmonized by Thomas Helmore in
Hymnal Noted, Part II (London: 1854).
Based on a 15th Century French Processional
(Some sources give a Gregorian, 8th Century origin.)
 

Alternate Music: "St. Petersburg," Dimitri S. Bortniansky
"Veni Emmanuel," Charles F. Gounod (1818-1893)
 

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;
Behold, a virgin shall be with child,
and shall bring forth a son,
and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is,
God with us.
Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23 (KJV)

 

 

Antiphon. (From the Greek Άντίφωνον; Latin, antiphona). A psalm verse or sentence from Holy Scripture chanted or recited at the beginning and at the close of a Psalm or the Magnificat during Matins and Vespers. Sources: Catholic Encyclopedia and John Julian, The Dictionary of Hymnology.

 

For many centuries, a special set of antiphons have been chanted during the evening Vespers prayers, both before and after The Magnificat. Beginning on December 16, each of seven antiphons was addressed to Christ under one or other of His Scriptural titles, together with a petition to the coming Lord (e.g.: "O Wisdom … come and teach us the way of prudence.”). December 21st was excluded, as it was the celebration of another feast. The first of these antiphons is

O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

O eternal Wisdom, which proceedest from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end of creation unto the other, mightily and harmoniously disposing all things: Come Thou to teach us the way of understanding.

Because each antiphon begins with the letter “O”, these seven antiphons have been referred to as the "O" Antiphons or “The Seven O’s."

The “titles” of the original seven antiphons are:

  1. O Sapientia, quae ex ore altissimi... (O Wisdom from on high...)

  2. O Adonai et dux domus Israel... (O Lord and leader of the house of Israel...)

  3. O Radix Jesse qui stas in signum populorum... (O Root of Jesse who stood as a standard of the people...)

  4. O Clavis David et sceptrum domus... (O Key of David and scepter of our home...)

  5. O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae... (O Dayspring, splendor of eternal light...)

  6. O Rex gentium et desideratus... (O longed-for King of the nations...)

  7. O Emmanuel, rex et legifer noster... (O Emmanuel, our king and law-giver...)

As noted above, these seven antiphons were originally recited as a part of the evening Vespers prayers in the Octave before Christmas, December 16 to 23 (the Vespers for Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, are those for the Christmas Vigil). Prior to the Reformation, it was sung from 16 to 23 December, omitting St. Thomas’ Day (December 21). These seven days are also known as the Greater Ferias.; the antiphons have also been called the Greater Antiphons. After the Reformation, they were recited from Dec. 17 through Dec. 23.

Each of the seven stanzas addressed the Messiah by one of his titles, each one praising the coming of the Savior by a different name, and closing with petitions appropriate to the title. Thus:

Address and Praise:
     O EMMANUEL, God with us, Our King and Lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Saviour:
Closing Petition:
     COME to save us, O Lord our God. Amen.

One verse was sung or chanted each evening (as opposed to being sung together as a single hymn, as we do today).

According to one source, on December 17th the Abbot would intone the first Antiphon, O Sapientia. On successive nights, each principal officer of the monastery would take his turn with another of the Antiphons. A After the service, the officer was expected to provide some sort of treat, usually edible, for all the monks.

The antiphons date back at least to the reign of Charlemagne (771-814). The 439 lines of the English poem Christ, by Cynewulf (c. 800), are described as a loose translation and elaboration of the Antiphons. B However, one source stated that Boethius (c. 480-524) made a slight reference to them, thereby suggesting their presence in the Sixth Century. C Julian reports that the antiphons have been found in two 11th century manuscripts, one in the British Museum (Harl. 2961, f. 10) and the other in the Bodleian (Liturg. Misc. 366, f. 53b).

In the middle ages, the usage of the "O Antiphons" was so prevalent in monasteries that the phrases, "Keep your O" and "The Great O Antiphons" were common parlance.

Up to six additional verses have been added to the original seven. D However, it is clear that these seven were designed as a group, since their initial letters (ignoring the 'O' that precedes each line) spell out the reverse acrostic 'SARCORE' — 'ero cras' — that is, "I shall be [with you] tomorrow."

At least six additional antiphons have been added to the original seven:

8. O Virgo virginum quomodo fiet. (O Virgin of Virgins, how shall this be?)

9. O Gabriel! nuntius cœlorum. (O Gabriel! the messenger of heaven)

10. O Thoma Didyme! qui Christum meruisti cernere. (O Thomas Didymus! who didst merit to see Christ)

11. O Rex pacifice, tu ante saecula nate. (O King of peace! that wast born before all ages)

12. O Hierusalem! civitas Dei summi. (O Jerusalem! city of the great God).

13. O mundi Domina, regio ex semine orta. (O mistress of the world, sprung of royal seed)

 

I. The Full Texts of the Prose Antiphons

The English prose translations that follow are by Cardinal John Henry Newman from Tracts for the Times, No. 75 (Vol.3), pp. 183, 206-207, as quoted by Alfred S. Cook, The Christ Of Cynewulf, pp. 71-72.

Scriptural citations from Fr. William Saunders, "What Are the ’O Antiphons’?" (and also found under the title "A Seven-Fold Announcement"), and Cook, The Christ of Cynewulf, pp. 72-114.

December 17: "O Sapientia..." (O Wisdom)

Prose Version:

O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

O eternal Wisdom, which proceedest from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end of creation unto the other, mightily and harmoniously disposing all things: come Thou to teach us the way of understanding.

Scriptural Citations:

Isaiah 11:2-3: "The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord."

Isaiah 28:29: "Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom."

Also: Ecclus. 24:5; Wisd. 8:1; Isa. 40:14. See also Proverbs 1:20; 8; 9 and I Corinthians 1:30.

December 18: "O Adonai..." (O Lord and Ruler of the House of Israel)

Prose Version:

O Adonai, et dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

O Lord, and Ruler of the House of Israel, who appearedst unto Moses in the flame of a burning bush, and gavest to him the Law in Sinai: Come to redeem us with a stretched out arm.

Scriptural Citations:

Isaiah 11:4-5: "But He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips."

Isaiah 33:22: "Indeed the Lord will be there with us, majestic; yes the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our king, he it is who will save us."

See also Exodus 3; Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:6.

December 19: "O Radix Jesse..." (O Root of Jesse)

Prose Version:

O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur; veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardere.

O Root of Jesse, who art placed for a sign of the people, before whom kings shall shut their mouths, whom the Gentiles shall supplicate: come Thou to deliver us, do not tarry.

Scriptural Citations:

Isaiah 11:1: "But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom."

Isaiah 11:10: "On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious."

Jesse was the father of King David, and Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be of the house and lineage of David and be born in David’s city, Bethlehem (Micah 5:1).

See: Isa. 52:15; Heb. 10:37. See also Romans 15:12; Revelation 5:5.

December 20: "O Clavis David..." (O Key of David):

Prose Version:

O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel: qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Key of David and Sceptre of the house of Israel, who openest and none shutteth, who shuttest and none openeth: come Thou, and bring forth the captive from the house of bondage, who sitteth in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Scriptural Citations:

Isaiah 22:22: "And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open."

Isaiah 9:6:"His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David’s throne, and over His kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever."

See: Rev. 3:7; Gen. 49:10; Isa. 42: 7. See also Revelation 3:7.

December 21: "O Oriens..." (O Dawn of the East) (Dayspring)

Prose Version:

O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumina sedentis in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Rising Brightness of the Everlasting Light and Sun of Righteousness: come Thou and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Scriptural Citations:

Isaiah 9:1: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown."

See also Luke 1:78-79; Malachi 4:2.

December 22: "O Rex..." (O King of the Gentiles) (Nations)

Prose Version:

O Rex gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unem: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

O King and the Desire of all nations, and chief Corner-stone, who makest two to be one: come Thou and save man whom Thou formedst from the clay.

Scriptural Citations:

Isaiah 9:5: "For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 2:4: "He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again."

See Jeremiah 10:7; Hag. 2:7; Eph. 2:14; Gen. 2:7; Tob. 8:8. See also Revelation 15:3; Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; I Peter 2:6.

December 23: "O Emmanuel..." (God With Us)

Prose Version:

O Emmanuel, Rex et legisfer noster, expectatio gentium, et Salvator erum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine Deus noster.

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the gatherer of the people and their Saviour: come Thou to save us, O Lord our God.

Scriptural Citations:

Isaiah 7:14: "The Lord himself will give you this sign: the Virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel."

See: Isa. 33:22; Gen. 49:10; Isa. 37:10. See also Isaiah 8:8; Matthew 1:23; Haggai [Aggeus] 2:7.

See also The "O" Antiphons for the Latin verses from the Breviarium Romanum, 1870 .

As noted above, up to six additional antiphons have been added to the original seven.

8. O Virgo virginum quomodo fiet. (O Virgin of Virgins, how shall this be?)

Latin: O Virgo virginum, quomode fiet istud, quia nec primam similem visa es nec habere sequentem? Filiae Hierusalem, quid me admiramini? Divinum est mysterium hoc quod cernitis.

Translation: "O Virgin of Virgins, how shall this be? for never was there one like thee, nor will there ever be."

An antiphon to Mary, the mother of Jesus, added, according to Julian, by the liturgiologist Amalarius in the Ninth Century, and found in the Sarum, York, and Hereford Breviaries. According to Cook, it is included for the feast of the Expectation of the Virgin, Dec. 18.

9. O mundi Domina, regio ex semine orta. (O mistress of the world, sprung of royal seed)

Latin: O mundi Domina, regio ex semine orta, ex tuo jam Christus processit alvo, tanquam sponsus de thalamo; hic jacet in presepio qui et sidera regit.

Translation: "O mistress of the world, sprung of royal seed: from thy womb did Christ go forth as a bridegroom from his chamber; here he who ruleth the stars lieth in the manger."

A second antiphon to Mary, the mother of Jesus. See Psalms 19:5. (December 18)

10. O Gabriel! nuntius cœlorum. (O Gabriel! the messenger of heaven)

Latin: O Gabriel! nuntius cœlorum, qui januis clausis ad me intrasti, et Verbum nunciasti: Concipies et paries: Emmanuel vocabitur.

Translation: O Gabriel! the messenger of heaven, who camest unto me through the closed doors, and didst announce the Word unto me: Thou shalt conceive and bear a Son, and he shall be called Emmanuel. (December 20)

11. O Thoma Didyme! qui Christum meruisti cernere. (O Thomas Didymus! who didst merit to see Christ)

Latin: O Thoma Didyme! qui Christum meruisti cernere; te precibus rogamus altisonis, succurre nobis miseris; ne damnemur cum impiis, in adventu Judicis.

Translation: O Thomas Didymus! who didst merit to see Christ; we beseech thee, by most earnest supplication, help us miserable sinners, lest we be condemned with the ungodly, at the coming of the Judge. (December 21)

12. O Rex pacifice, tu ante saecula nate. (O King of peace! that wast born before all ages)

Latin: O Rex pacifice, tu ante saecula nate, per auream egredere portam, redemptos tuos visita, et eos illuc revoca, unde ruerunt per culpam.

Translation: O King of peace! that wast born before all ages, come by the golden gate; visit them whom thou hast redeemed, and lead them back to the place whence they fell by sin. (December 22)

13. O Hierusalem! civitas Dei summi. (O Jerusalem! city of the great God).

Latin: O Hierusalem! civitas Dei summi, leva in circuitu oculos tuos; et vide Dominum tuum, quia jam veniet solvere te a vinculis.

Translation: O Jerusalem! city of the great God: lift up thine eyes round about, and see thy Lord, for he is coming to loose thee from thy chains. (December 23)

Note that Ronald M. Clancy, in his Best-Loved Christmas Carols (p. 80, 2000), gives a different Biblical citation to some of the Antiphons, which have been updated for more contemporary language usage. Additional scriptural references can also be found in O Wisdom, That comest out of the mouth of the Most High. John, Marquess of Bute, K.T., The Roman Breviary. Volume 1 (Winter) of 4. (Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons, 1879, 1908).

The Catholic Encyclopedia observed that the Parisian Rite added two antiphons ("O sancte sanctorum" and "O pastor Israel") to the seven of the Roman Rite and began the recitation of the nine on the 15th of December.

There have been numerous translations from the Latin into English, including:

As noted above, these public domain renderings of the Great Antiphons have formed the basis for modern adaptations of the Antiphons (substituting “comes” for “comest,” for example). Likewise, modern liturgists continue to provide Antiphons in modern liturgies, whether their own fresh translations or adaptations of earlier versions, for example updated Advent Acclamations (Cooperative Music, Inc., 1993), and an Advent Lamb of God (“Today's Missal,” OCP, Portland, Oreg.).

In Advent, Abbott Prosper Louis Guéranger, O.S.B., explored numerous topics relative to that season, including the seven Great Antiphons (plus translations of four "added" antiphons). Advent is volume 1 of the 15-volume The Liturgical Year, begun circa 1841. Translation by Dom Laurence Shepherd, O.S.B., circa 1867. Guéranger's Preface: The Commencement of the Great Antiphons. His commentaries on the Great Antiphons:

See: Christ by Cynewulf,and Albert S. Cook, The Christ of Cynewulf. Boston: Ginn & Co., 1900). (http://www.archive.org/details/christpoeminthre00cyneuoft ); accessed March 25, 2007.

 

II. The Metrical Antiphons.

Rev. John Mason Neale wrote that in about the 12th century, an unknown author took five of these Antiphons, and wove them into a hymn in the following order:

  1. O Emmanuel;

  2. O Radix Jesse;

  3. O Oriens;

  4. O Clavis David;

  5. O Adonai.

This hymn began with the line :—

" Veni, veni, Emmanuel,"

and added to each verse the refrain:—

" Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel Nascetur pro te, Israel."

Note that there was no refrain in the original Latin chant.

Although Neale thought that the metrical version dated from as early as the 12th century, the earliest known publication of the metrical form of the "O" Antiphons was a Latin version in an Appendix of 18th Century Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum, (Cologne, 1710, from the Tridentine rite).

The Latin was well known to 19th century theologians. Hermann Adalbert Daniel gave the full Latin text in his Thesaurus hymnologicus. ii. 336 (1844). Rev. John Mason Neale gave substantially the same Latin text in Hymni Ecclesiæ (Oxonii et Londini: Johannem Henricum Parker, 1851), pp. 57-58. Of course, the English translation of the prose antiphons was made as early as 1836 by John Henry Newman.

The Latin Veni, Veni Emmanuel from Rev. John Mason Neale, Hymni Ecclesiæ (Oxonii et Londini: Johannem Henricum Parker, 1851), pp. 57-58:

Neale_Veni_1851_57.jpg (40434 bytes) Neale_Veni_1851_58.jpg (42608 bytes)

In 1851, Rev. John Mason Neale translated by and published an English language metrical version, "Draw Nigh, Draw Nigh, Emmanuel" in his Hymni Ecclesiae. Also in 1851, it was published in Neale’s Medieval Hymns, and with slight revision, it was also published in 1851 in Neale and Thomas Helmore’s The Hymnal Noted - Parts I and II.

By 1859, it would be published in Hymns Ancient and Modern with the more familiar title of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel " (Hymn 36, with Latin verses and the note "Altered by the Compilers"); it's been written that Dr. Neale participated in this editing of his hymn for this publication.

Another early metrical rendering was made by Canon William Cooke, and appeared in the Cooke and Denton Church Hymns With Tunes of 1853. Canon Cooke's account of the same is:

"Where it was possible, the translator and arranger [who was Cooke], took the words of Mr. A. J. Beresford Hope's translation of the hymn 'Veni, Veni, Emmanuel,' in the Hymnal Noted, retaining the prayer of the Prose Anthem for the Advent of Christ."

The opening line of each Antiphon is:

i. "O Wisdom, Who O'er Earth Below"
ii. " Ruler and Lord, draw nigh, draw nigh"
iii. “O Rod of Jesse's stem, arise"
iv. " Key of the House of David, come"
v. “O Morning Star, arise"
vi. "O Thou on Whom the Gentiles wait"
vii. "Draw nigh, draw nigh, Immanuel."

A set of eight Advent anthems by Lord Earn Nelson “and others,” 1866, appeared in the Sarum Hymnal, 1868, as "The Advent An­thems." The opening line of each is:—

(1) "O Wisdom! Spreading Mightily"
(2) "Ruler of Israel, Lord of Might"
(3) "O Root of Jesse! Ensign Thou !"
(4) "O Israel's sceptre! David's Key"
(5) “O Day Spring and Eternal Light"
(6) “O Day Spring and Eternal Light !”
(7) “O King! Desire of Nations! come”
(8) “O Law-giver! Emmanuel! King!”

Each of the Anthems consists of four lines, plus a two-line refrain:

Draw near, O Christ, with us to dwell
In mercy save Thine Israel.

It was noted that “These Anthems may be sung separately, or as one hymn.”

Other renditions were published in the mid to late 1800s included:

Thomas Alexander Lacey (1853-1931) translated another popular version with all seven verses, five of which first appeared in The English Hymnal (1906); see: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - Version 2. Subsequent to The English Hymnal, Lacey issued The Great Advent Antiphons: The English Translation Revised by T. A. Lacey (8 pages, 1928).

In 1916, Rev. Henry Sloane Coffin (1877-1954) would publish translations of verses two and three in a hymnal which he co-edited with Ambrose White Vernon, Hymns of the Kingdom of God. (New York: The A.S. Barnes Company, 1916). Verse one was the translation by Rev. John Mason Neale.

As we have seen in O Come, O Come, Emmanuel web page, hymnal editors have frequently provided their own translations of these verses, usually without attribution (it's assumed that one of the editors of the hymnal provided the different renditions). A modern example is The New English Hymnal (1986), which contains the five verses of T.A. Lacey, but adds two additional verses, from the "Editors". I've seen hymnals that contained a version of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” that contained verses from Neale, Lacey and Coffin.

The translations by Neale and Lacey (and the version "Draw Night, Draw Nigh, Emmanuel") correspond to the original verses as seen in the following table:

Original Verses:

Verses:

1. O Sapientia (O Wisdom)

 

2. O Adonai (O Lord)

5.

3. O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)

2.

4. O Clavis David (O Key of David)

4.

5. O Oriens (O Dayspring)

3.

6. O Rex gentium (O longed-for King)

 

7. O Emmanuel (O Emmanuel)

1.

The Catholic Book of Worship III gives seven verses, with attribution to Neale (alt.). The New English Hymnal gives seven verses, with attribution to Lacey and the "Editors." The Hymnal 1940 gives seven verses, without attribution (although likely a composite of Neale and Lacey). Both Glory & Praise (Second Edition) and Choral Praise Comprehensive give seven verses, with attribution to Neale and The Hymnal 1940 (e.g., Lacey's verses 2 and 7, alt.). Lutheran Worship gives seven verses with attribution to "John M. Neale, alt."

Today, most hymnbooks use just five of the seven original salutations addressed to the anticipated Messiah, primarily based on the John Mason Neale translation (although frequently altered). In some hymnals, the Emmanuel verse is both the first and last verse.

Metrical versions that have been found and posted on this site:

Additional versions be sought:

William Cooke and Benjamin Webb, editors of The Hymnary – A Book of Church Song (1872), included a series of seven hymns based on the Seven “Great O” Antiphons, each with its own tune. They are:

As is the case with prose renditions, contemporary hymnologists have used Veni, Emmanuel as the basis for new hymns celebrating the name of Jesus Christ, as, for example, Steve Angrisano who used the Advent 'O' Antiphons as the basis for his hymn “Emmanuel” (copyright 2004; published by the OCP, Portland, Oreg.).

 

III. The Music

The most commonly heard music heard with “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is the tune, “Veni, Emmanuel.” The basis for this tune was a 15th Century French Plain Song Processional, arranged and harmonized by Thomas Helmore in
Hymnal Noted, Part II (London: 1854). Note that some sources give the origin of the tune as a Gregorian melody from the 8th Century.

In addition to”Veni Emmanuel,” there have been various other tunes associated with “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” including "St. Petersburg" by Dimitri S. Bortniansky (1751-1825), and "Veni Emmanuel" by Charles F. Gounod (1818-1893).

 

Origin of the Primary Tune

The origins of the tune had been in some doubt. In 1881, Thomas Helmore stated that the source was a French missal and that Neale had copied the tune. H. Jenner challenged this assertion in a 1909 letter in which he stated that the hymn and tune came from a manuscript presented to Helmore which his father, Bishop Jenner, who had copied it in 1853 from a manuscript in the Lisbon library. Subsequent searches of that library failed to locate the document.

However, the issue was resolved when in 1966 Dr. Mary Berry (Mother Thomas More, 1917-2008) discovered the tune in a manuscript at Paris’ Bibliothèque Nationale; the tune was for a processional for a community of French Franciscan nuns. Dr. Berry wrote:

My attention had been drawn to a small fifteenth century processional in the Paris Bibliothèque Nationale. It was Franciscan in origin and probably intended far the use of nuns rather than friars. Turning the pages I discovered, on folio 89v ff, a number of troped verses for the funeral responsory Libera me in the form of a litany, beginning with the words "Bone iesu, dulcis cunctis.” The melody of these tropes was none other than the tune of O come, O come Emmanuel. It appeared in square notation on the left-hand page, and on the opposite page there was a second part that fitted exactly, like a mirror-image, in note-against-note harmony with the hymn-tune. The book would thus have been shared by two sisters, each singing her own part as they processed.

Dr. Erik Routley wrote that the "Great O's" formed the foundation of an Epiphany hymn written by Bishop C. W. Stubbs (1845-1923) performed in 1911 at the Truro Cathedral's Festival of Lessons and Carols. He noted:

The opening carol of the 1911 service is a hymn in seven verses, each of six tens, on the Great O's of Advent. But one remarkable discovery is among the carols, taken from Cynewulf's Christ (about A.D. 750), beginning in its modern version under the title The Carol of the Star:

They came three Kings who rode apace
To Bethlem town by God's good grace,
    Hail, Earendel!
    Brightest of angels.

Foudre! it was a duteous thing
Wise men to worship childe King;
    God-light be with us,
    Hail, Earendel!

"Earendel" is a fanciful name for the Star which guided the wise men.

The carol was set to music by T. Tertius Noble (1867-1950). Bishop Stubbs also wrote a prose translation of the Great Antiphons, “O Wisdom, sovereign master of man's soul” (1901)

The lines from Cynewulf's Christ are:

Hail Earendel, brightest of angels,
over Midgard to men sent,E
and true radiance of the Sun
bright above the stars, every season
thou of thyself ever illuminest.

See Christ by Cynewulf.

At least two other hymns also have the pattern of addressing Christ by one of his titles, and then requesting his assistance: O Quickly Come, Dread Judge of All and Crown Him With Many Crowns.

Michael Martin, at his "Thesaurus Precum Latinarum: Treasury of Latin Prayers," Veni Emmanuel, has the alignment between the Latin hymn and English translations, as well as other excellent resources for the Latin student or scholar.

For more about the O Antiphons, including graphical representations, see Jeanne Kun's The Antiphons of Advent.

 

John Mason Neale and Thomas Helmore, eds., Hymnal Noted - Parts I and II. London: Novello, 1856.

The Greater Antiphons, pp. 207-209.

 

 

Footnotes:

A. And in this manner is similar to the assignment of readings in the modern Festival of Nine Lessons And Carols at King's College. See generally Carol Services. Return

B. Robert Boenig, Anglo-Saxon Spirituality, p. 53. Part I of the poem "Christ" relates to the Advent, and is described as a loose translation and elaboration of the O Antiphons. However, only part II (Ascension) is now believed by some to be the work of Cynewulf; the authorship of parts I and III (The Second Coming) are less certain. Boenig contains a poetic translation (pages 217-229), with excellent explanatory notes (pages 307-311). The Charles Kennedy prose translation can be seen at Cynewulf-Christ-Kennedy (http://www.yorku.ca/inpar/Christ_Kennedy.pdf; accessed March 24, 2007). Also see the translation by Charles Huntington Whitman of Part I. Advent (http://www.humanitiesweb.org/human.php?s=l&p=c&a=p&ID=28087&c=778; accessed March 28, 2007). For additional notes, see: Christ by Cynewulf. This poem is found in the Exeter Book of the 11th century, a gift by Bishop Leofwine in 1072 to the Exeter cathedral library. Return

C. The reference here concerns the writings of Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (Roman statesman and philosopher, ca. 480-524; link is to his biography in the Catholic Encyclopedia at New Advent). Neither that source, nor others with similar references, have identified the location of this allusion. My best guess would be his "De institutione musica" (The Fundamentals of Music). A Latin copy of De institutione musica, liber IV available on-line at Liber IV (http://www.chmtl.indiana.edu/tml/6th-8th/BOEMUS4_TEXT.html; accessed April 1, 2007). I have been unable to locate an on-line English translation. However, I've found references to the book Fundamentals of Music, trans. Calvin M. Bower, ed. Claude V. Palisca (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989). Return

D. Some service books contained eight antiphons, the Sarum Breviary had nine antiphons, and in some traditions, there were twelve. The eighth and ninth additional antiphons were “O Virgo virginum” and “O Thoma Didyme.” When these two are added (or the antiphon “O Gabriel”), some churches believe that the nine orders of angels are signified. For more, see Christ by Cynewulf. Return

E. It was this stanza from Cynewulf that provided a strong influence on the noted philologist J. R. R. Tolkien, well-known for his works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The translation of the first two lines of this stanza by Gollancz is:

Hail, heavenly beam, brightest of angels thou,
sent unto men upon this middle-earth ! [Emphasis added]

This was the first of nine references to "middle-earth" in this translation. "Earendel" became the name of one of Tolkien's characters, "Eärendil the Mariner," a hero of the First Age whose star figures in The Hobbit. Return

The Magnificat (The Canticle of the Blessed Virgin), Luke 1:46-55:

My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God My Saviour;
Because he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid;
for, behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;
And his mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm,
he has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with all good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, his servant,
mindful of his mercy —
Even as he spoke to our fathers —
to Abraham and to his posterity forever.
Glory be to the Father.

Compare: Ave Maria. Return

 

 

Bibliography

All web sites accessed between March 20 and 23, 2002.

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