Adeste Fideles

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“Oh Come All Ye Faithful” redirects here. For the Sex and the City episode, see Oh Come All Ye Faithful (SATC episode).

"Adeste Fideles" or "O Come All Ye Faithful" is a Christmas carol which is commonly believed to have been composed by John Francis Wade in approximately 1743. Wade was a Catholic layman and a music teacher, who fled England after the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. He went to the English College, Douai which was a refuge for British Catholics after the abdication of James II in 1688. The words may therefore be attributed to Wade or to others, but certainly originate amongst exiled Jacobite Roman Catholics of the 1740s.

First measures of Adeste Fideles.

The earliest existing manuscript shows both words and tune. It was published in the 1760 edition of Evening Offices of the Church. John Francis Wade included it in his own publication of Cantus Diversi (1751). It also appeared in Samuel Webbe's An Essay on the Church Plain Chant (1782).

The Latin verses 1-3 and 6 were translated to English by Frederick Oakeley (September 5, 1802 - January 29, 1880) in 1841, with stanzas 4 and 6 being translated by William Thomas Brooke. This translation was first published in Murray's Hymnal in 1852. Frederick Oakeley was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, and was ordained in 1828. In 1845, he converted from the Church of England to Roman Catholicism; he became canon at Westminster Cathedral in 1852.

The title "Adeste Fideles" is usually reserved for the Latin original, and "O Come All Ye Faithful" for the English translation.

It is sometimes referred to as the "Portuguese Hymn" as it was often sung in the Portuguese Embassy in London where Vincent Novello was organist, and who erroneously ascribed the tune to John Redding. The lyrics and music of Adeste Fideles have also been attributed to King John IV of Portugal. It has also on occasions been erroneously attributed to the 13th century saint, Saint Bonaventure.

In the UK it is most often sung today in an arrangement with a descant verse 6 and unison verse 7 by Sir David Willcocks, published in the Oxford Carols for Choirs series.

The final verse (Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning...) is generally omitted before Christmas day, a notable exception being the traditional midnight mass, where the carol is often sung as the final hymn with the last verse included.

This song was reportedly the favorite Christmas hymn of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. (See Christmas at the White House). The chant "Why Are We Waiting?", which is frequently performed spontaneously at public gatherings to express frustration at delays, is also sung to the same tune.

In Swedish, two lyrics versions exists "O kommen, I trogne" and "Dagen är kommen". Swedish pop singer Carola Häggkvist covered "Dagen är kommen" on her 1999 Christmas album "Jul i Betlehem".

US rock group Twisted Sister covered the song as "O Come All Ye Faithful" on their 2006 Christmas album "A Twisted Christmas", arranged in the style of their 1984 hit song "We're Not Gonna Take It". "Adeste Fideles" is said to have inspired them to "We're Not Gonna Take It".

1 Latin lyrics
2 Complete English lyrics
3 Lyrics to 'Portuguese Hymn'
4 External links

[edit] Latin lyrics

First verse and literal (not poetic) translation

Adeste fideles, laeti triumphantes

(Be present, faithful, joyful, triumphant)

Venite, venite in Bethlehem

(Come, come into Bethlehem)

Natum videte, Regem angelorum

(Behold the Newborn, King of angels)

Venite adoremus, venite adoremus

(Come, let us adore; come, let us adore)

Venite adoremus, Dominum.

(Come, let us adore the Lord).

Second through eighth verses

Deum de Deo, Lumen de Lumine,

Gestant puellae viscera,

Deum verum, Genitum non factum.