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O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - HistoryChristmas Song and Advent Hymn by John Mason Neale
Short history of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," (Veni Emmanuel), a best-loved Christmas carol to the tune of "Come God with Us."
"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is an Advent hymn with Christian Latin tune name "Veni Emmanuel" (Come God with Us.) Its history originates in the medieval Roman Catholic Church, c.12th century. It was translated into English by John Mason Neale (1818-1866). Advent, which begins four Sundays before Christmas, is the season of the church year that emphasizes the anticipation of Christ's first coming to earth. Christ's coming as the Messiah was first prophesied in the sixth century B.C. when the Jews were captive in Babylon. For centuries, faithful Hebrews looked for their Messiah with great longing and expectation, echoing the prayer that He would "ransom captive Israel." Early Beginnings of the Text and MelodyDuring the Advent season, the hymn began as a series of Antiphons-short statements sung at the beginning of the Psalm or of the Magnificat at Vespers. Each of the Antiphons greets the Savior with one of the various titles He is referred in the Scriptures, names such as "Emmanuel," "Lord of Might," "Key of David," and "Rod of Jesse." The text melody was originally a Plainsong or Chant, which is the earliest form of singing in the church. John Mason Neale - Hymn English TranslatorDuring the 19th-century there were Anglican ministers and scholars who developed a keen interest in translating into English many of the ancient Greek, Latin and German hymns, and made available the rich heritage of these Greek and Latin hymns. John Mason Neale was one of them. John M. Neale was born in London, England, on January 24, 1818. A gifted scholar, he edited his own handwrwitten family magazine before he was 10 years old. He also translated into English other hymns: "The Day of Resurrection," "All Glory, Laud and Honor," and "Art Thou Weary?." Significance of the Hymn "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" TodayBelievers can rejoice with God's people of all ages upon realization that Christ the Messiah did come ages ago. Scripture References: Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" which means, "God with us." Yet He now is waited with the same urgent expectation for His second advent, when victory over sin and death will be final. Today most hymnbooks use five of the original statements addressed to the anticipated Messiah. The Hymn's First StanzaO come, o come Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. Words and MusicSources:101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications (1982) The Penguin Book of Hymns, edited by Ian Bradley (1989)
The copyright of the article O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - History in Christian Music is owned by Tel Asiado. Permission to republish O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - History in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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