O Come, All Ye Faithful

Perhaps the most often-sung processional or recessional hymn at Christmas services, "O Come, All Ye Faithful" is generally attributed to John Francis Wade (1711-1786). Wade's four stanzas in Latin were translated to English by Frederick Oakely in1841, with additional verses subsequently penned by various authors. This arrangement is based on the four original stanzas, with all but the final verse employing the standard harmonization from The English Hymnal (1906). For performances of more than four verses, it is suggested that the organ-only accompaniment (Verse 1) be repeated/inserted for additional verses at the discretion of the organist or music director. The arrangement proceeds as follows: Introduction: organ, brass, timpani Verse 1: organ Verse 2: brass Verse 3: organ with solo trumpet flourishes Interlude: organ, brass, timpani Verse 4: organ, brass, timpani with alternate harmonization Coda: organ, brass, timpani The organ part may be performed on manuals only, with "pedal ad lib" indicated where the organist may choose to play the lowest bass notes on pedals, and the timpani part may be excluded if no timpani are available.