O come, O come, Emmanuel

“O come, O come, Emmanuel” is a seasonal Christian hymn (and carol). The text was originally written in Latin (Veni, veni, Emmanuel) and the hymn has its origins over 1,200 years ago when monasteries would sing the “O antiphons” in anticipation of Christmas Eve.

My favorite version by far is Loreena McKennit’s brooding rendition, simply titled, Emmanuel. She sings the whole thing in the original Latin translation. I really favor a melancholic (almost Celtic) tone to seasonal music. I think this comes from listening to so much of Loreena McKennit’s music when I was younger.