We are now, on 14 Dec, eleven days before Christmas. Since the start of Advent, the spouse and I have been listening to Christmas music--as we drive and as we do many varied chores in the house, and as I write this. We are nearing the shortest day of the year, and the late sunrise and early sunset make one want to get the most out of their day, and listening to Christmas music can give a lift during these times of darkness and short days. Christmas music is often nostalgic, some say it has us look back to what we viewed as simpler times--our childhoods. The most popular Christmas music today are often songs recorded by fabled artists of generations gone past--Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathias, and others. Listening to Christmas music got me wondering what is up with all of the O's in Christmas hymns? Given this popularity, it is mainly seasoned citizens like my wife who listen to the music.
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| Nativity Set Author photo |
Let me count the O's just in Christmas hymns of which I am familiar. O Holy Night, O Little Town of Bethlehem, O Christmas Tree (aka O Tannenbaum), O Come all Ye Faithful (aka Adeste Fideles) and of course the one that outdoes the others, with O's, O Come O Come Emmanuel (albeit more an Advent hymn). I guess the O is a nice introduction to these pieces. Holy Night, as a title, or at the beginning of the first line to the hymn just does not have the same ring to it as does O Holy Night. Although I am probably used to it with the O so without the O it sounds strange. The same could be said for the other songs I have identified. I am sure I have missed some of the songs that begin with O.
Most of the O songs, like Christmas hymns in general, seem to be an invitation, welcoming us to an event, or at least participation in the song and invite us to a relationship with Jesus Christ. However, there is one that is rather unique and stands out from the rest. This hymn is about Advent and not about Christmas. That song is O Come O Come Emmanuel.
Most Christmas music lifts one up, and instills wonder and joy in the senses and the depths of sould. But, O Come O Come Emmanuel is different, it has a mysterious type quality to its music and in its cadence of a "quiet persistent speed" (J McDermott, source #2). This mysterious nature, in my opinion, is enhanced even more when played on an organ. More than any other instrument, the organ can express a variety of emotions--joy, mystery, and even death knells. O Come O Come Emmanuel is, to me, rather different from the other hymns noted (and most Christmas hymns), which invite us to Christ, in this we are inviting Jesus to us. O Come O Come Emmanuel is also one of the oldest of Christmas pieces, although not in the iteration to which we most enjoy. The English translation was translated from Latin and arranged by an Anglican priest in the mid to late 1800's. The piece comes from he O Antiphons of the early Christian-Catholic Church. Yet, the English and other translations do not do the full hymn justice as what exists in the original Latin, particularly the call and response. Showing the strength of mind of the early creators of the O Antiphons, when you take the first (in Latin) letter of the first word of each of the seven, and go from last to first, it spells out ERO CRAS, which means "I am coming." I doubt this is accidental, although it may not be the monk mind as much as the Holy Spirit was at work. Overall, I find the O Antiphons speaking of Advent in a curious sort of way.
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| Four of Seven O Antiphons as painted by Sr Ansgar Holmberg From Source #1, below |
The O' Antiphons have been around at least since the sixth century, and possibly longer since the earliest mention in writing dates to that century. To be mentioned in a sixth century document, they obviously existed at that point, but that does not rule out them having existed prior to being placed in writing. As Simca Fisher has written in "America Magazine" (source #1) "The O Antiphons are a series of seven verses dating from the sixth century and prayed during vespers during the last week of Advent. Each antiphon is a name of Jesus taken from Scripture...." The last of the seven O Antiphons uses Emmanuel and is the basis for the name Emmanuel in this classic Advent hymn. Yet, this hymn captures the other six days of the O Antiphons in its lyrics. The O Antiphons, in a monastic sense, are generally chanted one on each day for seven straight days starting on Dec 17.
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| O Antiphons Source: Google Images |
As joyfully expressive as most Christmas hymns are--they provide us an invitation to think, celebrate, and engage the Christ child, why does a hymn with such a mysterious melodic nature engage us to invite Christ to our lives? With our time of anticipation and preparation inherent in the Advent season, why does Emmanuel speak to that? I think part of is because we all find Advent to be a bit mysterious. Each of us looks to advent in a different way, whereas Christmas is for many very similar--celebrating with family and friends and sharing of gifts as an expression of appreciation. A Baylor University document (2010) had this to say about the hymn O Come O Come Emmanuel, and you will notice it uses the word haunting.
These seven prayers—the Great Antiphons, or O Antiphons—are among the richest treasures of Advent. With a montage of haunting (bold by author) biblical images of creation, redemption, and ultimate restoration they remind us that Christ, whose glorious return we anticipate and patiently await during Advent, is surrounding and sustaining us already. He is truly Emmanuel, “God among us,” for he is at once the wisdom who creates and orders the universe, the lawgiver who establishes righteousness through Israel and the Church, the redeemer who has overcome death and rescued his creation from sin, and the great king who is drawing his children from every nation and restoring them in love.
What is most unique about Advent is the paradox that it provides. One the one hand we are in preparation as we look forward to the celebration of the birth of Christ, and asking Christ to come to us, but on the other hand, Christ is already with us.
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| Christmas Tree Author photo |
We now return to the use of O. I think the purpose of the O's as the first word in each title is to invite us to listen with our minds and hearts. Each hymn, with an O, and other hymns as well, give us a story, but we are engaged in more than a story--we are engaged in a way of living. That invitation to engage in a story that is in itself a mystery and is dependent on faith. When looking at O Come O Come Emmanuel, I think of the mysterious, haunting, nature of both lyrics and music. They engage the human mind and soul because they speak to the mystery of the paradox of advent, and the Christ Child. There are some things some of us take on a matter of faith--one being the nature of the savior. That is the mystery that we celebrate on Christmas Day, that God so loved the world that he sent his only child. We celebrate the use of O's because they represent an invitation, and celebration of that most special of occasions.
Sources:
1. https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/12/22/advent-o-antiphon-paintings-239567
2. https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2021/12/03/o-come-o-come-emanuel-history-241963
3. https://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/125498.pdf
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