English, 12th c.

Mount Calvary Church

Eutaw Street and Madison Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland

A Parish of the Roman  Catholic Personal Ordinariate of St. Peter

Rev. Albert Scharbach, Pastor

Advent IV

Here is a more or less straightforward version.

This hymn has entered into popular culture.

Here is are the male voices of Chanticleer.

Here is a version for children’s choir+.

Here is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Here is Enya.

Here is a heavy metal version (I think; I am not an expert on such matters) by King and Country.

Her is Red Mountian Music.

And of course the Swingles.

and Pentatonix.

A nice version for piano and cello. I admire players who can make the cello sing.

VENI veni, Emmanuel
captivum solve Israel,
qui gemit in exsilio,
privatus Dei Filio.

R: Gaude! Gaude! Emmanuel,
nascetur pro te Israel!

Veni, O Sapientia,
quae hic disponis omnia,
veni, viam prudentiae
ut doceas et gloriae.

Veni, veni, Adonai,
qui populo in Sinai
legem dedisti vertice
in maiestate gloriae.

Veni, O Iesse virgula,
ex hostis tuos ungula,
de specu tuos tartari
educ et antro barathri.

Veni, Clavis Davidica,
regna reclude caelica,
fac iter tutum superum,
et claude vias inferum.

Veni, veni O Oriens,
solare nos adveniens,
noctis depelle nebulas,
dirasque mortis tenebras.

Veni, veni, Rex Gentium,
veni, Redemptor omnium,
ut salvas tuos famulos
peccati sibi conscios.

A Fribourg choir.

Here are the Gesualdo Six.

Here are the O Antiphons:

O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti,
attingens a fine usque ad finem,
fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia:
veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other,
mightily and sweetly ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.

 

O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel,
qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti,
et ei in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush
and gave him the law on Sinai:
Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.
Isaiah had prophesied:

 

O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum,
super quem continebunt reges os suum,
quem Gentes deprecabuntur:
veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.

O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples;
before you kings will shut their mouths,
to you the nations will make their prayer:
Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.
Isaiah had prophesied:

 

O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel;
qui aperis, et nemo claudit;
claudis, et nemo aperit:
veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris,
sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel;
you open and no one can shut;
you shut and no one can open:
Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house,
those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

O Oriens,
splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae:
veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Dayspring,
splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness:
Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum,
lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum:
veni, et salva hominem,
quem de limo formasti.

O King of the nations, and their desire,
the cornerstone making both one:
Come and save the human race,
which you fashioned from clay.

O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster,
exspectatio Gentium, et Salvator earum:
veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster.
English:

O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver,
the hope of the nations and their Saviour:
Come and save us, O Lord our God.

Her is the Gregorian O Sapientia.

Here is a modern arrangement of all seven antiphons.

O Sapientia
O Adonai
O Radix Jesse )
O Clavis David
O Oriens
O Rex gentium
O Emmanuel

If read backwards, the letters form a two-word acrostic, “Ero cras,” meaning “I will be present tomorrow.”

All of the Latin apostrophes to the coming Messiah are from the Old Testament except “Emmanuel,” which is found both in Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23. The meaning of the names, like that of all the acts of God, is not fully revealed until His final act and name: Emmanual, God-with-us.

_______________________________

Creator of the stars of night,

Thy people’s everlasting light,

O Christ, thou Saviour of us all,

We pray thee, hear us when we call.

 

To thee the travail deep was known

That made the whole creation groan

 Till thou, redeemer, shouldest free

 Thine own in glorious liberty.

 

And when the world drew on toward night,

Thou camest, not in splendor bright

As monarch, but the humble child

Of Mary, blameless mother mild.

 

At thy great name of Jesus, now

All knees must bend, all hearts must bow:

And things celestial thee shall own,

Of things terrestrial, Lord alone.

 

Come in thy holy might, we pray;

Redeem us for eternal day

From ev’ry pow’r of darkness, when

Thou judgest all the sons of men.

 

To God the Father, God the Son,

And God the Spirit, Three in One,

Laud, Honor, might and glory be

From age to age eternally.  Amen

Here is St. John’s College, Cambridge. Here is the Westminster Choir College.

CONDITOR alme siderum,
aeterna lux credentium,
Christe, redemptor omnium,
exaudi preces supplicum.

Qui condolens interitu
mortis perire saeculum,
salvasti mundum languidum,
donans reis remedium

Vergente mundi vespere,
uti sponsus de thalamo,
egressus honestissima
Virginis matris clausula.

Cuius forti potentiae
genu curvantur omnia;
caelestia, terrestria
nutu fatentur subdita.

Te, Sancte, fide quaesumus,
venture iudex saeculi,
conserva nos in tempore
hostis a telo perfidi.

Sit, Christe, rex piissime,
tibi Patrique gloria
cum Spiritu Paraclito,
in sempiterna saecula. Amen.

Here is the Gregorian version.

Here are The Sixteen.

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