Selah's "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel"

Once upon a time, I did not like this song for one simple reason; I did not like the minor key in which it was written.  At one time in my life I did not feel the need to listen very closely to something composed in a minor key.  Minor keyed compositions equaled depressing pieces of music as far as I was concerned, so I tolerated such songs until they were over.  They didn't seem very "Christmasy" to me.  Christmas songs should be upbeat, not written in minor keys.  That was my philosophy as shallow and juvenile as it may seem.

A couple of years ago, two things happened that drastically changed my mind about "Oh Come, O Come, Emmanuel".  In the midst of my boycott of minor keyed songs, the group Selah, released their "Rose of Bethlehem" CD.  Since I liked Selah, I took the time to really listen to the words and was blown away by the power behind them.  It also helped that their recording combines "Hatikvah" (translated "the hope") which is Israel's national anthem.  

Written by Naphtali Herz Imber, "The Hope", also in a minor key, is a beautiful, emotion inspiring piece of music.  There are elements of it running through Selah's recording of "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel" and the result of the mournful violin, coupled with the words of the song and the power behind the voice is quite simply beyond description.  One can almost audibly hear Israel's lament through the voice of the violin.

The second thing that happened was a concert that I attended.  My Mom was playing with the Christian Festival Choir and Orchestra on a concert that also included Masterworks Chorale.  They played in the Peristyle of the Toledo Art Museum.  I was excited about this concert because I had always heard wonderful things about the acoustics in the Peristyle, but I had never heard anything performed there.  As I scanned the program, I saw that "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel" was one of the songs on the list that night. 

A young lady with a deeply, rich alto voice sang her heart out on this song and I am not ashamed to say that it brought tears to my eyes.  While we were helping Mom get her trombone and assorted "gig" equipment to the car, we ran into the lady who did the solo.  I'm sure it was not coincidence.  I complemented her solo and then told her I never used to like that song until recently.  She laughed and said she never liked it either for the same reason I didn't, until she started practicing for the performance.

When one really ponders the words, they read as if they are taken straight out of Isaiah.  They are a plea to a holy, righteous God to return and redeem His people.

The original lyrics were written in Latin sometime in the 12 Century.  It is unknown who wrote them nor is there evidence of who composed the music.  Tradition holds that the melody was French and that the words were added to the music at a later date.  The Latin lyrics were translated into English by John Mason Neal in 1851.

Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel
Translated: John Neal, 1818-66

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,
Who to your tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times gave holy law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'r to save;
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, O 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 you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Hymn # 31 from Lutheran Worship
Author: French Processional
Tune: Veni Emmanuel
1st Published in: 1854