Veni, Veni, Emmanuel is a concerto for percussion and orchestra by James MacMillan. MacMillan began composing it on the first Sunday of Advent 1991 and completed it on Easter Sunday 1992, dates that are significant to the work itself. The work was commissioned by Christian Salvesen PLC. It received its premiere on 10 August 1992 at the Royal Albert Hall, London, performed by Evelyn Glennie and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra under Jukka-Pekka Saraste. The work is in one movement, and lasts around 25 minutes. The music draws on the Adventplainchant of the same name, which appears in its full form only at the end.
There are five main sections to the work: after the introduction is a 'heartbeat' section (representing, according to the composer, "the human presence of Christ"), followed by a 'hocket' dance; transition sequences lead in and out of the central Gaude, after which the dance reappears. The piece reaches its climax with the unfolding of the plainchant in chorale form, after which the work is closed by a coda in which the heartbeat motif and the percussionist on tubular bells have the last word.
O come, O come, Emmanuel is a Christianhymn for Advent. While it is most commonly known by that English title, it is in fact a translation of the original Latin, Veni, Veni, Emmanuel; translations into other modern languages (particularly German) are also in widespread use. The 1861 translation from Hymns Ancient and Modern is the most prominent by far in the English-speaking world, but other English translations also exist.
The words and the music of "O come, O come, Emmanuel" developed separately. The Latin text is first documented in Germany in 1710, whereas the tune most familiar in the English-speaking world has its origins in 15th-century France.
Of the Text
The pre-history of the text stretches back to the origins of the O Antiphons themselves, which were in existence by, at the latest, the eighth century. However, to speak meaningfully of the text of the hymn per se, they would need to be paraphrased in strophic, metrical form. It is certainly within the realm of possibility that efforts along those lines could have been made quite early; we know, for instance, that they were paraphrased extensively by the English poet Cynewulf in a poem written before the year 800. However, despite popular imagination of an early origin for "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," the hymn's history is first substantiated only much later.
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel Veni, veni Emmanuel! captivum solve Israel qui gemit in exsilio privatus Dei Filio Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel nascetur pro te, Israel. Veni, O Sapientia quae hic disponis omnia Veni, viam prudentiae ut doceas et gloriae O come, O come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Then, from a room down the hall, I heard my 10-year-old son plinking on a piano, sounding out the Christmas hymn, “Veni Veni Emmanuel.”. “Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel/and ransom captive Israel...” Tears ...
Somehow, during the centuries that it evolved into the hymn we know, the antiphons were mixed out of order — Veni Veni Emmanuel is the seventh O Antiphon, not the first ...Ambrose’s Veni Redemptor ...
The women of the company traversed the stage hand-in-hand, apart and then in unison again in an enchanting girl-bonding piece set to the traditional French “Veni, Veni, Emmanuel.“ Clean, classic moves ...
Photo by Max Hall... The season opens on Dec ... 9 ... 21 ... “It’s haunting.” ... Another song that leans toward the sacred moniker include “Veni Veni Emmanuel,” Earnshaw said ... “Veni Veni Emmanuel” is another inspirational and difficult piece that Hall enjoys singing.
... the group on “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” as well as play two short medleys, all on the viola ... • “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” by John Ferguson;. • “Veni, Veni Emmanuel” arranged by MichaelJohn Trotta;.
... with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra stretches back many decades, to the 1992 premiere of his enduringly popular percussion concerto, Veni, Veni, Emmanuel and beyond to the first years of his career.
San Francisco Examiner
04 Dec 2023
San Francisco Examiner
04 Dec 2023