Does Anyone sing O Come All Ye Faithful Verse 2 (the real verse 2)
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 392
    I’m just curious if anyone’s Catholic choir actually sings it? I’m referring to the “God of God...etc”. OCP completely removed it, CBW III has it. My parish 15 years ago tried to sing it on Christmas Eve and it was a musical disaster, and have never sung it since.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    We sing it every year.
    Thanked by 3tomjaw Andrew_Malton trentonjconn
  • TCJ
    Posts: 968
    We have used it. No problems whatsoever.
    Thanked by 1Andrew_Malton
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,704
    We always sing the first, second (Deum de Deo), sixth and seventh verses, but we sing them in Latin. We don't hand out Hymnals but our congregation still joins in.
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,768
    Adeste, O come, God of God, Sing, and unless we get the look, Yea, Lord.
  • Liam
    Posts: 4,946
    You can always respond to The Look with either YAY! Lord or Yeah, Lord....
    Thanked by 1Richard Mix
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 392
    In Latin there’s no issues because the melody was written for the Latin Text. It was originally a Gregorian Chant hymn.
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    ...was originally...
    Adeste fideles' original form was indeed as a Latin hymn. But, it was not chant of the Gregorian variety... or chant at all.

    I cannot imagine what the problem with the second stanza, 'God of God...', might be.
    We sing it in English all the time.
    It is my favourite stanza, because all the others stand in its shadow. It is the only one that, in echoing the lines of the Nicene creed, professes what the others are all about, the only one of any theological import. Without it the others are pointless.
    Thanked by 5a_f_hawkins CHGiffen GregoryWeber Andrew_Malton tomjaw
  • cesarfranck
    Posts: 158
    We always sing all six verses at our midnight Mass. Verse 2 is not a problem for us!
    Thanked by 1Andrew_Malton
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 685
    The reason I believe is that the notes in the very first measure and the very last notes in the fifth measure are only played or should only be played for the first verse. Some music directors disregard this and the result of playing those notes for the second verse, messes up the congregation. In some arrangements they add a rest in the first measure before the second verse and subsequently adjust the notes In the fifth measure. In my parish we always skip the second verse and I believe for the reason I stated .
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Jackson,

    If you sing "O come all ye faithful", and then sing,"God of God", you now have the accent on the incorrect syllable."
  • Incardination
    Posts: 832
    If you sing "O come all ye faithful", and then sing,"God of God", you now have the accent on the incorrect syllable."

    Who would sing it the same way on the second verse? Take out the pick-up on verse two and it works.
    Thanked by 4a_f_hawkins M. Jackson Osborn CHGiffen cesarfranck
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,372
    [withdrawn]
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,500
    Verse 2 uses half the syllables in the first line as verse 1 does. The text is somewhat irregular throughout but that is quite a shift.
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • GambaGamba
    Posts: 539
    We always do:

    1) O Come
    2) Adeste
    3) God of God
    4) See, how the shepherds
    5) Child, for us sinners
    6) Sing, choirs
    7) Yea, Lord

    We omit the actual 4th verse (Lo! Star-led chieftains / Magi, Christ adoring...) for reasons of time; that verse being Epiphany-ish, it is most logical to cut. Introit+rep of antiphon+playover of the first 8 bars+7 verses is just right for procession and incensation here.
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,768
    It is a little hard to see the problem. A competent organist will prevent any disaster with an appropriate cutoff: "…Christ the Lord-dont-breathe Now! God from God". If the accompaniment is on piano I suppose there had better be some singer(s) who know what they're doing.

    I'm jealous of anyone who sings "Lo! Star-led chieftains" though!
    Thanked by 2a_f_hawkins cesarfranck
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    I'm jealous...
    Ha! you may direct your jealousy towards me and all the folk at Walsingham. If fact, there has never been a year in which I wasn't able to sing of the 'Star-led chieftans'. They make their appearaunce in the 1940 and are sung of when- and wherever the hymn is sung (at least in the Anglican world).
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,372
    Just between you and me, we use the refrain as the Eucharistic Acclamation, from Christmas to Epiphany.
    Richard Mix - the 'problem' is organists who are incompetent at accompanying/leading a congregation.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    I always use the Willcocks accompaniment anyway and adapt it to the irregular verses. No one has any problems with it.
    Thanked by 1cesarfranck
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,499
    Yes. No problems here. I like the variety.
    I would love to meet the "Star-led chieftans" one day.
  • trentonjconn
    Posts: 543
    St. Michael Hymnal has four English verses, and we sing all four of them. I will say, for whatever reason, the entire congregation skipped "God of God" one year at the vigil. I can only assume it was because they were singing from memory and not from the hymnal.
  • bonniebede
    Posts: 756
    God from true God,
    Light from light eternal,
    etc
  • Caleferink
    Posts: 429
    It's my favorite stanza!
    Thanked by 1cesarfranck
  • RoborgelmeisterRoborgelmeister
    Posts: 139
    Aeterni Parentis
    Splendorem aeternum
    Velatum sub carne videbimus,
    Deum infantem,
    Pannis involutem:

    Knox in Westminster Hymnal, 1941:

    The splendour eternal
    Of eternal Godhead
    Veiled with infirmities of flesh we see:
    Hiding his glory,
    Swaddling clothes he weareth:
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • bhcordovabhcordova
    Posts: 1,152
    Every time our Christmas Choir has sung 'O Come All Ye Faithful', we've sung all the verses.
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