As it is approaching Christmas we are now looking at the top ten Christmas Carols. At number 2 is O come all Ye Faithfull, surprisingly it was not selected during lockdown for the St Fillan’s online Songs of Praise.
This carol is a celebration of the birth of Christ and calls us to gather in His presence and adore Him as Christ the Lord.
It is considered a reference to the shepherds, after hearing the angels singing, coming to Bethlehem to adore their new-born saviour.
A few online quotes:
“A Christmas call to worship, mostly likely written by John Francis Wade, a catholic artist who created beautiful manuscripts decorated with exquisite floral images. His hymn, Adeste Fidelis, remained a Latin masterpiece for a hundred years before being translated into English by Rev. Frederick Oakeley. For congregational singing, especially when trying to teach harmony or when singing acapella, this carol sings beautifully, which is why it is has often also been a selection to finish our Christmas concerts.”
“After having trudged your way through Silent Night and done your best with the treacly Away in a Manger, whose heart doesn’t lift a little at the opportunity to belt out O Come, All Ye Faithful, with its chorus full of mounting dynamics, its appealingly weird line about not abhorring the virgin’s womb and its showstopper ending? Beware the sherry-emboldened amateur vocalist who takes it on themselves to attempt the elaborate harmonies in the final verse.”