I love Advent and I love Advent hymnody even more. Often our Advent hymns get overlooked as we rush to hear or sing our beloved Christmas carols and we miss out on the depth and wonder – the mystery - these Advent gems offer us. This Sunday we get to sing two of what I think are probably everyone’s favorite Advent hymns. Here is a little about them.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel finds it origins in the medieval ninth-century Roman Church as a series of antiphons – short statements that were sung at beginning and end of the Magnificat at Vespers services during the season of Advent. The antiphons, referred to as the O Antiphons because each begins with “O,” greet the Savior with one of the many titles ascribed to him in scripture, and then close with the appropriate petition to the title. Seven in number, these antiphons were collected into Latin verse around the twelfth century. Nineteenth century Anglican minister, John Mason Neale, translated this hymn (along with many others) from Latin to English. The tune we know today was a fifteenth century chant used as a processional. Interestingly, we have only recently discovered the tune’s origin within the last 30 years. Our voluntaries for Sunday are a contemporary expression of these antiphons that were written recently by English composer Cecilia McDowell.
Prepare the way, O Zion, or Prepare the royal highway as it is known to Lutherans, has been used for almost 200 years in the Church of Sweden. It officially made its way to the United States by way of the Lutheran Service Book and Hymnal of 1958. I have great memories of singing this as a child for it was one in which you could catch my mother bouncing at the organ bench while she played.
Written by Frans Mikael Franzen in 1812, the hymn is based on Isaiah 40:3-5 (Prepare ye the way of the Lord) and the narrative of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem found in Matthew 21. Other influences include Alexander Pope’s Messiah, a sacred Ecologue. The hymn was included in the Svenska Psalm-Boken of 1819 a hymnic masterpiece from the golden age of Swedish hymnody.
The tune for Franzen’s hymn appears to have originated as a German folk tune from the 16th century that was adapted by the Swedish for use with a text for mealtime. Since 1812, however, it has been connected with Franzen’s hymn.
I give thanks for these great hymns, the many memories associated with them, and the opportunity to sing them together with you this Sunday as we await and prepare for the Messiah.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Ben Keseley, Minister of Music