Briar Black / 30 December 2024 / Categories: Music, Classical, Opinions

O Come O Come Emmanuel

And singing Christmas carols in general

This year outside our local Waitrose we have been treated to or subjected to depending on your perspective to Christmas carols played by a brass band to get everyone in the spirit.

I went to a strict church school in the 1960 so even though I am not religious now and my family kids aren’t religious either I do find myself humming along when the carols are playing.

This is not one of the most recognisable like Silent Night or Away in a manager and yet I found myself unconsciously singing. I found I did know most of the words. Which concerned me a bit as when I sang them I didn’t 100% understand what I was singing.

I even knew there are seven verses, but how?

I heard myself muttering

“Rejoice Rejoice Emmanuel will come to thee O Israel”

I wonder how many of the people playing in the band, all around my age, 50 plus know the words or what they mean either.

I struggle with the word Rejoice and what’s going on in Israel at the moment,

_

When I did a bit of research about this hymn, what it means and actually questioned why I at school had heard it so many times I was pretty much word perfect even though I haven’t stepped into a church (excluding weddings and funerals) since I was at school.

The hymn originally written in Latin around the 12th century wasn’t translated into English until 1850 and basically repeats the story of the celebration of the saviour of the world Jesus Christ; if you are a Christian and believe the scripture connected to that individual faith path.

I don’t have any issues with faith in something greater than me per se, that’s logical and makes sense to me. The problem I have with religion, there are so many different one it would be impossible for them all whilst convincing with lots of members disciples, to be correct.

My thought was how we can be so strongly influenced as children by everything we are exposed to especially music.

My new lyric,

Stop the suffering stop the pain and Emmanuel might come again.