| O Come, All Ye Faithful | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Adeste Fideles |
| Genre | Christmas musicHymn |
| Language | Latin, English |
| Published | 1751 |
"O Come, All Ye Faithful", also known by its original title "Adeste Fideles", is aChristmas carol that has been attributed to various authors, includingJohn Francis Wade (1711–1786),John Reading (1645–1692),King John IV of Portugal (1604–1656), and anonymousCistercian monks. The earliest printed version is in a book published by Wade.[1][2][3] A manuscript by Wade, dating to 1751, is held byStonyhurst College inLancashire.[4]
The original four verses of thehymn were extended to a total of eight, and these have been translated into many languages. In 1841, the English Catholic priestFrederick Oakeley translated the hymn into English as "O Come All Ye Faithful", which became widespread in English-speaking countries.[2][5]
The original text of thehymn has been from time to time attributed to various groups and individuals, includingSt. Bonaventure in the 13th century or KingJohn IV of Portugal in the 17th, though it was more commonly believed that the text was written byCistercian monks – the German, Portuguese or Spanish provinces of that order having at various times been credited. A parody of the chorus ("venite apotemus") was current before 1542, when it appears in chapter 41 ofRabelais' "Gargantua".
In modern English hymnals, the text is usually credited toJohn Francis Wade, whose name appears on the earliest printed versions. Wade, anEnglish Catholic, lived in exile in France and made a living as a copyist of musical manuscripts which he found in libraries. He often signed his copies, possibly because his calligraphy was so beautiful that his clients requested this[citation needed]. In 1751 he published a printed compilation of his manuscript copies,Cantus Diversi pro Dominicis et Festis per annum. This is the first printed source forAdeste Fideles.[6]
The version published by Wade consisted of four Latin verses. Later in the 18th century, the French Catholic priestJean-François-Étienne Borderies [fr] wrote an additional three verses in Latin. Another anonymous Latin verse is rarely printed.
The text has been translated innumerable times into English. The most common version today is a combination of one ofFrederick Oakeley's translations of the original four verses, and William Thomas Brooke's translation of the first three additional verses. It was first published inMurray's Hymnal in 1852. Oakeley originally titled the song "Ye Faithful, approach ye" when it was sung at his Margaret Chapel inMarylebone (London), before it was altered to its current form.[7] The song was sometimes referred to as the "Portuguese Hymn" after theDuke of Leeds, in 1795, heard a version of it sung at the Portuguese embassy in London, nowOur Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory, Warwick Street.[8] McKim andRandell nonetheless argue for Wade's authorship of the most popular English-language version.[2][9] Bennett Zon offers limited support for that argument, although he also suggests that the author may instead have been someone known to Wade.[10]
Although the hymn’s exact sources and origins remain unproven, there is universal agreement among musicologists that it was through the efforts of Catholic layman and music copyist John Francis Wade that it first appeared in print. Wade himself fled to France after theJacobite rising of 1745 was crushed, and his liturgical books were often decorated with Jacobite imagery[citation needed] (for context, the aim of the rebellion had been to restore a Catholic monarch – Charles Edward Stuart, popularly known as “Bonnie Prince Charlie[11]” – to the throne of England). These aspects of Wade’s life and political leanings have given rise to speculation that he might have intended forAdeste Fideles to be a ciphered birth ode to the Jacobite’s Young Pretender.
This theory regarding the hymn’s meaning has been most recently proposed by Professor Bennett Zon, head of music atDurham University. It essentially holds that "the song’s original Latin version was actually a coded rallying cry for the Stewart cause".[12] Elements of this theory include:
Proponents of this theory interpret the notions and circumstances described above as evidence that the lyrics ofAdeste Fideles are meant to be "a call to arms for faithful Jacobites to return with triumphant joy to England (Bethlehem) and venerate the king of angels, that is, the English king (Bonnie Prince Charlie).”[15] However, certain historical circumstances would seem to disprove or at least problematize the Jacobite ode theory. Namely:
BesidesJohn Francis Wade, the tune has been attributed to several musicians, fromJohn Reading andhis son, toHandel, and even the German composerChristoph Willibald Gluck. The Portuguese composerMarcos Portugal as well asKing John IV of Portugal have also been credited.Thomas Arne, whom Wade knew, is another possible composer.[7] There are several similar musical themes written around that time, though it can be hard to determine whether these were written in imitation of the hymn, whether the hymn was based on them, or whether they are totally unconnected.
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The hymn was first published byJohn Francis Wade in his collectionCantus Diversi (1751),[2][9] with four Latin verses, and music set in the traditionalsquare notation used formedieval liturgical music. This version is intriple meter, contrary to modern versions. It was published again in the 1760 edition ofEvening Offices of the Church. It also appeared inSamuel Webbe'sAn Essay on the ChurchPlain Chant (1782).Thehymn tune also made its way to theSacred Harp tradition, appearing as "Hither Ye Faithful, Haste with Songs of Triumph" in an 1860 collection.[19]With "Herbei, o ihr Gläub'gen" a German translation of the Latin text was published in 1823 byFriedrich Heinrich Ranke.[20]
The carol has four original Latin verses as published in 1751 by John Francis Wade, plus the traditional metrical English translation by Frederick Oakeley from 1841.
Adeste fideles læti triumphantes, | O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant! |
Additional Latin verses were composed for the carol later in the 18th century, though they are not commonly performed.[21] These verses have translations by William Thomas Brooke:
En grege relicto, humiles ad cunas, | See how the shepherds, summoned to His cradle, |
In performance, verses are often omitted – either because the hymn is too long in its entirety or because the words are unsuitable for the day on which they are sung. For example, the eighth anonymous verse is only sung onEpiphany, if at all; while the last verse of the original is normally reserved for ChristmasMidnight Mass,Mass at Dawn or Mass during the Day, or if sung on a different day the line "Born this happy morning" is changed to "Born for our salvation".
In the United Kingdom and United States it is often sung today in an arrangement by SirDavid Willcocks, which was originally published in 1961 byOxford University Press in the first book in theCarols for Choirs series. This arrangement makes use of the basic harmonisation fromThe English Hymnal but adds asopranodescant in verse six (verse three in the original) with its reharmonisedorgan accompaniment, and alast verse harmonisation in verse seven (verse four in the original), which is sung in unison.
This carol has served as the penultimate hymn sung at the Festival ofNine Lessons and Carols by theChoir of King's College, Cambridge, after the last lesson fromChapter 1 of theGospel of John.
Adeste Fideles is traditionally the final anthem during Midnight Mass atSt. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.[22]
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