For Advent
Also published as "Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel"
Version 1
Compare: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - Version 2
Draw Nigh, Draw Nigh, Emmanuel (Neale)
Come, O Immanuel, Come
Words: Veni, Veni, Emanuel (the "O" Antiphons),
Authorship Unknown, 8th Century Latin;
Published: Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum, Köln, 1710.
Translated from Latin to English by John Mason Neale
in Mediaeval Hymns and Sequences, 1851.
Neale's original translation began, "Draw nigh, draw nigh, Emmanuel."
Neale only translated 5 of the 7 Antiphons (See Notes, below).
Isaiah 59:20
And the Redeemer shall come to Zion,
and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob,
saith THE LORD.
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.)
MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / PDF / XML
Melody Only: MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / PDF / XML
Alternate Music: "St. Petersburg," Dimitri S. Bortniansky
MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / Sheet Music / XML
"Veni Emmanuel," Charles F. Gounod (1818-1893)
MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / PDF / XML
Meter: 88 88 88
Source: J. H. Hopkins, ed., Great Hymns of the Church Compiled by the Late Right Reverend John Freeman Young (New York: James Pott & Company, 1887), #48, pp. 76-7.
1. O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel1
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
2. O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free2
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o'er the grave. Refrain
3. O come, Thou Day-S pring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight!2a Refrain
4. O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery. Refrain
5. O come, O come, Thou Lord of Might,3
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times didst give the law4
In cloud, and majesty, and awe. Refrain
Notes:
1. Or: 'Immanuel' Return
Another refrain:
"Rejoice! Rejoice! O Israel.
To thee shall come Emmanuel."
(John Michael Talbot)
2. Or: O come, Thou 'Branch' of Jesse, free Return
2a. Or: 'And drive away the shades of night
And pierce the clouds and bring us light!' Return
3. Or: O come, O come, 'Great' Lord of might, Return
4. Or: In ancient times 'did’st' give the Law. Or: In ancient times once gave the law Return
Alternate Second Verses, Translator Unknown:
2. O come, Thou Root of Jesse's tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.2. O come, thou Rod of Jesse’s stem
From every foe deliver them
That trust thy mighty power to save,
And give them victory o’er the grave.2. O come, thou Branch of Jesse’s Tree
Free them from Satan’s tyranny
That trust thy mighty power to save,
And give them Victory o’er the grave.
Alternate Third Verses, Translators Unknown
3. O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadow put to flight.3. O come, O Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thine advent here
And drive away the shades of night
And pierce the clouds and bring us light.3. O come, thou Day-spring from on high,
And cheer us by thy drawing night;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadow put to flight.
Alternate Fifth Verses, Translators Unknown
5. O come, O come, Thou Lord of Might,
Who once, from Sinai’s flaming height
Didst give the trembling tribes Thy law
In cloud, and majesty, and awe.5. 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.
Additional Verse, Translator possibly T. A. Lacey (Original Verse 1):
O come, thou Wisdom from on high!
Who madest all in earth and sky,
Creating man from dust and clay:
To us reveal salvation’s way.
Additional Verse, Translation by Henry Sloane Coffin, 1916 (Original Verse 1):
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
And order all things, far and nigh;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And help us in that way to go.
Additional Verse, Translator Unknown (Original Verse 1):
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest [ordered] all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach [cause] us in her ways to go.
Additional Verse by Henry Sloane Coffin, 1916 (Original Verse 6):
O come, desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease;
Fill all the world with heaven’s peace.
Alternate Additional Verse, Translator possibly T. A. Lacey (Original Verse 6):
O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.
Alternate Additional Verse; Translator Unknown (Original Verse 6):
O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
O Bid our sad divisions cease,
And be for us our king of peace.O Come, Desire of Nations! Show
Thy kingly reign on earth below;
Thou Corner-stone, uniting all,
Restore the ruin of our fall.
For more information about Henry Sloane Coffin, see Pastor, educator, ecumenist: Henry Sloan Coffin (1877-1954), a "Presbyterian Heritage" article by James H. Smylie, June 6/13, 2005, at The Presbyterian Outlook. Coffin's noted work Some Christian Convictions: A Practical Restatement in Terms of Present-Day Thinking is reproduced at Project Gutenberg. Links open in new windows at exterior sites.
Sheet Music from J. H. Hopkins, ed., Great Hymns of the Church Compiled by the Late Right Reverend John Freeman Young. New York: James Pott & Company, 1887, #48, pp. 76-7.
Latin text: "Mozarabic Breviary."
"Melody from a French Missal.
Harmonized by H. R. Schrœder."
John Mason Neale and Thomas Helmore, eds., Hymnal Noted - Parts I and II. London: Novello, 1856.
Veni, Veni Emmanuel, #65, p. 131
The Greater Antiphons, pp. 207-209.
Sheet Music from George C. Martin, The Book of Common Praise. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1909, #63.
From Hymnal Noted,
| By Charles F. Gounod, 1818-1893
|
Sheet Music from O. Hardwig, ed., The Wartburg Hymnal. Chicago: Wartburg Publishing House, 1918, #78
Sheet Music: "Veni, O Sapientiæ" from Nicola A. Montani, ed., The St. Gregory Hymnal And Catholic Choir Book. Philadelphia: St. Gregory Guild, 1920, #2.
Sheet Music by Charles F. Gounod (1818-1893, 1872) from the Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church. Bethlehem, PA: Provincial Synod, 1920, #106.
Sheet Music "St. Petersburg" by Dimitri S. Bortniansky (1752-1828) from Andreas Bersagel, et al, eds., The Concordia Hymnal. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1932, #118
See A Garritan Community Christmas for an MP3:
O Come O Come Emmanuel, Jim Hammer
"Veni Immanuel" - SATB "Veni Immanuel" - Melody Only O Come, O Come Emmanuel - Melody "St. Petersburg," Dimitri S. Bortniansky "Veni Emmanuel," Charles F. Gounod Only tested by Noteworthy for Netscape, Opera, and IE Browsers (Versions 4 or 5) |
Notes:
"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall call his name Emmanuel."
Isaiah 7:14
This Advent hymn, written in 1851 by the Rev. John Mason Neale (1818-66), was based on one of the oldest of Christian prayers — referred to as the "O" Antiphons, the "Greater" Antiphons, and "The Seven O’s."
The "Greater" Antiphons are, in their original order:
The full text of these, with notes, can be seen at: The O Antiphons; see also The Great Advent Antiphons and The Prose Antiphons.
These seven antiphons were recited as a part of the evening Vespers prayers of the Catholic Church before and after The Magnificat in the Octave before Christmas, December 17 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.
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), and the 439 lines of the English poem Christ, by Cynewulf (c. 800), are described as a loose translation and elaboration of the Antiphons. B One source stated that Boethius (c. 480-524) made a slight reference to them, thereby suggesting their presence at that time. C Julian reports that two 11th century copies can be found in manuscripts in the British Museum and the Bodleian. 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.
At least two — and up to five — additional verses were later 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."
According to some sources, by the 12th or 13th century, but no later than the eighteenth century, five of the verses had been put together to form the verses of a single hymn, with the refrain "Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel nascetur pro te, Israel" ("Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel; Shall come to thee, O Israel") (there was no refrain in the original Latin chant). The earliest known metrical form of the "O" Antiphons was a Latin version in an Appendix of Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum, (Cologne, 1710, from the Tridentine rite).
In 1851, it was translated by and published in Rev. John Mason Neale’s Medieval Hymns. The original title was "Draw nigh, draw nigh! Immanuel." It was revised and published in 1854 in Neale and Thomas Helmore’s second edition of Hymnal Noted with the more familiar "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." "Emmanuel" (or "Immanuel") is the name of the Messiah as prophesied by the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah (see Isaiah 7:14, quoted in Matthew 1:23).
Thomas Alexander Lacey (1853-1931) translated another popular version with all seven verses, five of which first appeared in The English Hymnal (1906). The New English Hymnal (1986) also contains these five verses, but adds two additional verses, from the "Editors". Several of his verses, together with those by Henry Sloane Coffin (1877-1954), appear with the Neale translation.
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: Translations:
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.
I have, so far, been unable to locate a definitive source for the translations by Lacey or Coffin.
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.
There have been numerous additional translations, according to Julian and others:
The origins of the tune have 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. Jenner's assertion was verified in 1966 when Mary Berry (then Mother Thomas More) discovered the tune in a French manuscript at Paris’ Bibliotheque Nationale; the tune was for a processional for a community of fifteenth-century French Franciscan nuns living in Lisbon, Portugal.
Dr. Erik Routley writes that the Great O's formed the foundation of a hymn written by Bishop C. W. Stubbs (1845-1923) performed in 1911 at the Truro Cathedral's Festival of Lessons and Carols. He notes:
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:
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). I have been unable to locate copies of either of these carols.
The lines from Cynewulf's Christ are:
John Julian notes that the translations by Bishop Stubbs of the seven O antiphons appeared in the Guardian, January 16, 1901, beginning: "O Wisdom, sovereign master of man's soul." Julian also notes a translation by Dr. H. C. Beeching, Canon of Westminster, that appeared in the Church Hymns, 1903, beginning "O Wisdom, that with God's own breath." There is also a prose translation in The English Hymnal, 1906, #734, beginning with "O Wisdom, which camest out of the mouth of the Most High." See: The Great Advent Antiphons.
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.
See also See also Christ by Cynewulf, The O Antiphons, The Prose Antiphons and The Great Advent Antiphons.
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.
Additional Notes:
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); I will attempt to borrow a copy on inter-library loan. Please check back. 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:
8. O Virgo virginum, quomodo fied istud? quia nec primum tui similis visa est, nec habebis sequentum. Translation by Dom Guéranger: "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.
Cook gives: O Virgo Virginum, quomodo fiet istud? quia nec primam similem visa es, nec habere sequentem.
9. O Thoma Didyme, qui Christum meruisti cernere: te precibus rogamus altisonis, succurre nobis miseris, ne damnemur cum impils in Adventu Judicis (an antiphon to St. Thomas the Apostle, whose feast day is December 21, found in the Sarum Breviary).
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.
Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (KJV) Return
Matthew 1:23: 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. (KJV) Return
Bibliography
Christmas Classics, Ltd., 2000.. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001.John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, 1892, 1907. Reprinted by Dover in 1957, in two volumes.
Hugh Keyte and Andrew Parrott, eds., The New Oxford Book of Carols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992.
Hugh Keyte and Andrew Parrott, eds., The Shorter New Oxford Book of Carols.
The Leader in MIDI Melodies, O Come, O Come Emmanuel http://ingeb.org/spiritua/ocomeoco.html (alignment between Latin and English is not correct)
Jeanne Kun, The Antiphons of Advent (http://www.rc.net/wcc/antiphon.htm; accessed March 24, 2007).
Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1999.. New York: Oxford University Press, 1959. . New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1955.All web sites accessed between March 20 and 23, 2002.
