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Track(s) taken from CDA66668

O come, O come, Emmanuel – Veni Emmanuel

First line:
O come, O come, Emmanuel
composer
Anonymous - Renaissance
fifteenth-century French Franciscan Processional, National Library, Paris
arranger
Thomas Helmore (1811-1890)
arranger
James O'Donnell (b1961)
author of text
Anonymous - Baroque
1710; Cologne
translator of text
John Mason Neale (1818-1866)

Westminster Cathedral Choir, James O'Donnell (conductor), Iain Simcock (organ)
Recording details: June 1993
St Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Mark Brown
Engineered by Antony Howell
Release date: October 1993
Total duration: 3 minutes 25 seconds
 

Reviews

‘An extremely well-sung traditional carol collection. The concert makes a great appeal by the quality of the singing and the beautiful digital recording’ (The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs)

‘A model of its kind’ (The Times)

‘Celestial’ (San Francisco Examiner)
O come, O come, Emmanuel is an Advent carol, a fervent plea to the Saviour to come and redeem mankind in accordance with the Old Testament prophecies, with, at the close of each verse, a brief refrain rejoicing in the message those prophecies convey. The words, written in Cologne in 1710 and translated by T A Lacey (1853–1931), are based on ancient Advent antiphons. The melody is from a fifteenth-century French Franciscan Processional kept in the National Library in Paris, adapted by Thomas Helmore (1811–1890) and freely arranged by James O’Donnell. The spirit is one of quiet assurance and timeless devotion.

from notes by Wadham Sutton © 1993

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