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O Come All Ye Faithful

From Espie Estrella,
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History of Christmas Carols

Title: O Come All Ye Faithful

Author: Also known in Latin as "Adeste Fidelis", this Christmas carol is credited to an English hymnist named John Francis Wade (1711-1786). The said carol appeared in 1751 in his collection called Cantus Diversi. It also appeared on the Evening Offices of the Church in 1760. Later on the carol was translated to English by Frederick Oakeley and William Thomas Brooke and was published on Murray's Hymnal in 1852.

Interesting Fact: The tune for this carol has been sometimes attributed to John Redding or to Saint Bonaventure. However, this is believed to be wrong because the musical score was first published in 1782 on An Essay on the Church Plain Chant by Samuel Webbe. The attribution to Redding is believed to have come from Vincent Novello, a famous organist, who referred to it as "Air to Redding, 1860".

Lyrics (Excerpt):
O Come All Ye Faithful
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Music Sheet: Free sheet music for flute, big-note version for kids and guitar.

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