O Come O Come Emmanuel

"O come, O come, Emmanuel" is a Christian hymn for Advent, which is also often published in books of Christmas carols. The text, originally written in Latin, is a metrical paraphrase of the O Antiphons, a series of plainchant antiphons attached to the Magnificat at Vespers over the final days before Christmas. The Latin metrical hymn "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel" first appears in print in 1710, despite claims that the text dates to the 11th or 12th century. The early medieval origins of the O Antiphons have led to a common belief that "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel" itself dates to the Early Middle Ages, but in fact, we do not have enough evidence to prove that. In 1966, Mary Berry discovered the tune in a 15th-century Franciscan processional, which was probably copied for a nunnery. However, while that tune is the same as the modern hymn, it’s not known if the hymn’s words were ever sung to it.

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