In mediaeval Ordos there are actually 8 antiphons, starting one day earlier than the current series. The eighth antiphon is 'O virgo', sung at Vespers on December 23rd. This certainly occurs in all of the English Use Ordos I've checked. Presumably similar on the continent, but I don't actually know.
The current series reduced to 7 by omitting 'O virgo'. The origin of this eighth antiphon is unknown to me. Anyone else?
>From what I've been able to glean, the 7 are the original format; the eighth was a later addition. But again, this is fairly fragmentary. It does, however, leave the well-known acronym as 'VERO CRAS'.
Rob
-----Original Message-----
>From : Tim Henderson <[log in to unmask]>
To : [log in to unmask]
Date : 15 December 2000 19:23:32
Subject : O come, O come Emmanuel
By popular request - from the 1998 archives. Originally posted by Bill East 14/12/98 :
>
>O come, O come Emmanuel
>
>
>Many listmembers will be familiar with the Advent hymn, “O come, O come
>Emmanuel.“ There are several versions in existence, but all are
>translations of an eighteenth-century Latin hymn. I give below the Latin
>text, and one translation:
>
>
>Veni, veni, Emmanuel, O come, O come, Emmanuel,
>captivum solve Israel, Redeem thy captive Israel,
>qui gemit in exilio, That into exile drear is gone
>privatus Dei Filio. Far from the face of God's dear Son.
> gaude, gaude; Emmanuel Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
> nascetur pro te, Israel. Shall come to thee, O Israel.
>
>
>veni, o Jesse Virgula; O come, thou Branch of Jesse! draw
>ex hostis tuos ungula, The quarry from the lion's claw;
>de specu tuos tartari From the dread caverns of the grave,
>educ et antro barathri. From nether hell, thy people save.
> gaude (etc.) Rejoice! (etc.)
>
>
>veni, veni, o Oriens; O come, O come, thou Dayspring bright!
>solare nos adveniens; Pour on our souls thy healing light;
>noctis depelle nebulas Dispel the long night's lingering gloom,
>dirasque noctis tenebras. And pierce the shadows of the tomb.
> gaude (etc.) Rejoice! (etc.)
>
>
>veni, Clavis Davidica; O come, thou Lord of David's Key!
>regna reclude caelica; The royal door fling wide and free;
>fac inter tutum superum, Safefuard for us the heavenward road
>et claude vias inferum. And bar the way to death's abode.
> gaude (etc.) Rejoice! (etc.)
>
>
>veni, veni, Adonai, O come, O come, Adonai,
>qui populo in Sinai Who in thy glorious majesty
>legem dedisti vertice From that high mountain clothed with awe
>in majestate gloriae. Gavest thy folk the elder law.
> gaude (etc.) Rejoice! (etc.)
>
>
>One must admire the independence of our translator, who seeking a rhyme for
>“Adonai“ and finding “Sinai“ in his original, declined to use it.
>
>
>The refrain, “gaude“ links the hymn with the Third Sunday in Advent, known
>as “Gaudete“ Sunday, because the Introit at Mass begins with that word.
>This gives a tone of joy to the day which is often echoed in the colour of
>the vestments, a rather fetching rose pink being worn instead of the sombre
>purple of the other Sundays in Advent. The “Advent Wreath“ which has become
>so popular in recent years, has three purple candles and a pink one.
>
>
>The verses of the hymn are derived from the “Great O“ antiphons. These are
>verses sung before and after the Magnificat, or Song of the Blessed Virgin
>Mary, at Vespers on the seven days leading up to Christmas Eve, beginning on
>17th December. Each celebrates Christ by a title derived from the Old
>Testament. In England, the Sarum custom was to insert an eighth antiphon,
>in honour of the Virgin, thus pushing back the first, “O Sapientia“ to 16th
>December.
>
>
>These seven antiphons are “O Sapientia“, “O Adonai“, “O Radix Jesse“, “O
>Clavis David“, “O Oriens“, “O Rex Gentium“ and “O Emmanuel“. It has been
>suggested that they were originally sung in a different order, because the
>initial letters of the titles, rearranged, spell our the words “ERO CRAS“ -
>“Tomorrow, I shall be“ - a suitable message on the Eve of Christ's coming
>into the world. Their authorship is unknown, but they were in use by the
>8th century. I propose - if it should please the members - to give the full
>text of each, together with an exposition, on the proper day of each
>antiphon, beginning therefore in a couple of days' time on 17th December
>with “O Sapientia“.
>
>
>Oriens.
Robert Durk
Director, 1509 Society
http://www.1509.org
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