December 15: Veni, veni Emmanuel | The King’s Singers

O come, O come, Emmanuel is an old hymn that dates back to the 12th century. It was translated from Latin to English by John M. Neale in 1851. Known for its eerie melody and deliberate references to Christ, this is my favorite arrangement and it’s sung purely in Latin.

Let’s look at four stanzas.

O come, o come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here,

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to thee, O Israel!

“Emmanuel” is a reference to Isaiah 7:14, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” In Matthew 1:23 we learn that Immanuel means "God with us." How many times did Israel wander away from the Lord and become captive by sin? Too many to count! We know that Israel was physically rescued from captivity but Israel remained in spiritual captivity due to sin. They longed for a Savior that would come and “appear” and make an offering for their sins. I like how the author of the hymn tells Israel to “Rejoice!”

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, 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.

“Rod of Jesse” is a reference to Isaiah 11:1, “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:” The “rod” referenced here is not a metal or wooden rod but is more of a “shoot” growing on or cut from a tree. “Jesse” is a reference to David’s father and the family line from which Christ would come.

O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,

And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

“Dayspring” is a reference to Christ in Luke 1:78 when Zacharias (John’s father) miraculously spoke and prophesied. Dayspring means the sunrise or the first light of day. The sunrise is the first light that appears in the morning and disperses the “gloomy clouds of night.” Christ is the "light of the world" and the one that will chase those clouds away.

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.

“Key of David” is a reference to 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.” This scripture is talking about Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was the finance minister under King Hezekiah. This is a prophecy that Christ is the one that will open the way to “our heavenly home” and “close the path to misery.” Since Christ has the “Key of David,” he is the one that will “make safe the way” for us to return to God.

Some things I love about this arrangement:

• I love the soprano, alto, tenor trio starting in the second stanza. Notice the tenor is singing higher than the soprano and alto!
• In the second stanza when they sing "Emmanuel" it sounds like an organ solidly and quickly entering!
• My very most FAVORITE part in this entire song is the build-up to the word "tenebras" (approx 1:42) into the "gaude"...love it! Maybe I love it so much because of the moving bass/baritone lines! Also notice the lyrics at this part in the song...here it's talking about how Christ (the Dayspring) will put to flight death's dark shadows (or in today's words overcome death...such an important doctrine to emphasize with music). Then that stanza closes with all in unison. So cool!
• I love the softly sung "Gaudes" at the end.

Veni, veni Emmanuel                                   O come, O come, Emmanuel

Veni, veni Emmanuel!                                    O come, O come, Emmanuel,
Captivum solve Israel!                                   And ransom captive Israel,
Qui gemit in exilio,                                         That mourns in lonely exile here,
Privatus Dei Filio,                                           Until the Son of God appear.
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel                             Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
nascetur per te, Israel.                                   Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Veni o Jesse virgula!                                     O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Ex hostis tuos ungula,                                   Thine own from Satan's tyranny ;
De specu tuos tartari                                      From depths of hell Thy people save,
Educ, et antro barathri.                                  And give them victory o'er the grave.
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel                             Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
nascetur per te, Israel.                                   Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Veni, veni o oriens!                                       O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,
Solare nos adveniens,                                  And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Noctis depelle nebulas,                                Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
Dirasque noctis tenebras.                             And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel                            Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
nascetur per te, Israel.                                  Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Veni clavis Davidica!                                     O come, Thou Key of David, come
Regna reclude coelica,                                  And open wide our heav'nly home ;
Fac iter Tutum superum,                               Make safe the way that leads on high,
Et claude vias Inferum.                                 And close the path to misery.
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel                            Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
nascetur per te, Israel.                                  Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Performed by: The King's Singers
Arranged by: Philip Lawson