This year, my choice is "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel," which really isn't a Christmas carol, but rather an Advent hymn...and one that, so far, I haven't heard yet this Advent at Sunday Mass. Perhaps this weekend...
I've been a Catholic long enough that I can remember the days when Masses were said and sung in Latin - and you could study Latin at Catholic high schools. I've always had a preference for the Latin versions of many common hymns and carols. For "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel," that would be "Veni, Veni Emmanuel," an eighth- or ninth-century antiphon.
Today I went poking around on YouTube, and found this lovely version by Loreena McKennitt, one of my favorite artists, with gorgeous photographs of nature set to the music:
Loreena only sings four of the Latin verses; all seven verses, with their English translations, can be found here.
© Amanda Pape - 2010
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