Musical Notes

Hello OCBC family,
“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11).

“Adeste Fideles laeti triumphantes,
Veníte, veníte in Bethlehem.
Natum vidéte, Regem Angelorum:
Veníte adoremus,
Veníte adoremus
Veníte adoremus Dóminum.”

Are you familiar with these lyrics? Perhaps not, at least in Latin, but in English, these words are the first stanza of the very familiar and very loved Christmas hymn, “O Come, All Ye Faithful.”

“O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come, and behold Him, born the King of angels!
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!”

This hymn is a good picture of what the shepherds in Bethlehem, and then the Magi from Orient, had in their heart: to come and see the newborn King and to adore Him.

The author of this hymn is John Francis Wade, an English Roman Catholic layman, musician by training. In 1745, he left England because of the persecution against Catholic people, and he lived in Frances and Portugal. He supported himself teaching music, and making illustrations to sheet music, real pieces of art. While in exile, he wrote this powerful hymn, four stanzas in Latin. He also composed a familiar melody.

Catholics were able to return to England; at that time, Wade passed away, but people brought Wade’s hymn and it became popular. Frederick Oakeley, an Anglican minister heard this hymn and made a translation into English. The original title was, “Ye Faithful, approach Ye” but he didn’t like this first attempt, and the second version was simpler and more vigoroso, “O Come, All Ye Faithful, Joyful and Triumphant.”

From the original text, in the majority of hymnals, they translated just three stanzas, but in our current hymnal, “Hymns of Grace” it includes the stanza that focuses on the mystery of Incarnation.

“Deum de Deo, lumen de lúmine,
gestant puellae viscera
Deum verum, genitum non factum.”
“God of God, Light of Light eternal,
Lo, He abhors not the virgin's womb;
Very God, begotten not created.”

In this Christmas season, let's not focus only on gifts, time with family, food, and fellowship, which are all very good things to do at this time of year, but let's focus on the King of Angels, who, being immortal, clothed himself in mortal form to live a life without sin and die for our sins.

“Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv'n!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!”
​
In His service,
Israel