Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful) from Family Christmas OnlineTMThis is an example of a Latin hymn written in relatively modern days. I grew up singing "Adeste Fideles" in church and "O Come All Ye Faithful" in school choirs. Now children may sing "O Come All Ye Faithful" in church and, well, we'll leave the school choirs out of it. When Roman Catholic services, including the hymns, went into English many of the hymns suffered in translation, but not this one. Of all the songs that have come into English from other languages this one may translate the best, perhaps because it was written by an Englishman in the first place.John Wade composed the "Late Latin" words to "Adeste Fideles" about 1743. Those words and the tune we know were published together in 1751. Although the tune is usually credited to John Reading, some traditions assign another composer, even John Wade himself. In 1841, Frederick Oakeley gave us the English version we generally use today, including the chorus and three verses. The first verse and chorus are actually almost a word-for-word translation into English. Other verses have been translated, but the translations aren't as singable as Oakeley's, so they're usually left out of the hymnals (and off of this page). That said, we have listed all of Wade's Latin verses below, including the ones that aren't usually represented in an English translation.
To hear an MP3 file of the song click here. To download the melody only sheet music for this song in pdf format, click here To download the SATB sheet music for this song in pdf format, click here Latin Text Adeste, fideles, laeti triumphantes;
Refrain:
Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine,
Refrain En grege relicto, humiles ad cunas
Refrain Stella duce, Magi Christum adorantes,
Refrain Aeterni Parrentis splendorem aeternum
Refrain Pro nobis egenum et foeno cubantem
Refrain
English Text O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
Refrain:
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation;
Refrain Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Refrain |
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