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O Come, O Come Emmanuel

About the Song

There are at least eight verses available for this traditional plainsong–I chose these three simply out of personal preference.

If you’re performing this with women’s voices, have the alto sing the top harmony an octave lower.

Sheet Music Downloads
Spotify, Soundcloud (inc. free downloads)

Click the Soundcloud download icon to download the free track for personal use.

Recording featuring vocals by James Loynes:

Accompaniment track:

Apple Music, Amazon

These files may be copied/shared in any quantity in any physical format unless otherwise noted. They may not be re-sold or offered for download.

YouTube

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Lyrics

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

Oh, come, Desire of nations,
bind In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

If you have questions, please check the FAQ
If you don't find your answer there, feel free to post your question here. 🙂

20 Comments

  1. Robin McAlister

    I absolutely adore you. I am the ward music coordinator and the stake music coordinator in Memphis TN, and I conduct the choirs for both, and your beautiful arrangements are always my go-to when I’m looking for something special. Your arrangements are beautiful AND singable….2 qualities that are essential for an amateur church choir. Thank you for making such lovely music accessible to the members of the church.

    Reply
  2. Jenny Taylor

    Hi, Sister Deford –

    Is there a possibility of an alto version of O Come O Come Emmanuel? May I transpose it?

    Reply
  3. ANNA DAVISON

    You are a very inspired woman! I love your music and am grateful for the
    use of it for Church programs, especially Christmas and Easter.
    Thank you

    Reply
  4. ByungHyuk Hwang

    Merry Christmas!
    I am praising God in Korea. While preparing for the Advent praise, I overheard your performance and found out at once that it was a song I had been looking for for years. Thank you so much. I prayed and hoped that God would bless you. “Rejoice!
    Emmanuel shall come to thee” Thank you so much.

    Reply
  5. Hal

    Our family loves this arrangement! We are using it in our music Christmas card we are recording to send to family members We have you listed in the opening credits Is there anything else we need to do to acknowledge you. This is a beautiful piece!

    Reply
    • Sally DeFord

      Thank you! There’s nothing you need to do… just have fun!

      Reply
  6. Penny

    Has anyone used personal composer to transpose this up a step or two? I can’t get personal composer to work on my mac.
    cpplinford@yahoo.com

    Reply
  7. Ajakaye Olushola Samuel

    please, I need the voice note of this song. (SATB)

    Reply
  8. Rachel Lorraine Pullan

    Do you have a version of this available for men’s voices?

    Reply
  9. Becky

    I love this version. Is there a SATB Version of this song? We were maybe looking to do it as a small ensemble.
    Thanks!

    Reply
  10. April M

    We have tried and tried without success to use the personal composer demo to transpose this piece, O Come O Come Emmanuel, to the key of Db major. We would love to have this for the Christmas program – it is the most beautiful arrangement we have listened to! If there is any help you can send our way, we would greatly appreciate it! Thank you, and Merry Christmas!

    Reply
    • Jenny Marie Taylor

      I’m having the same problem!

      Reply
  11. Karen Isakson

    As convert to the Lord’s church this is my favorite hymn for the Christmas season.

    Reply
  12. Strings

    I adapted this arrangement for violin a couple of years ago. It’s still one of my favorites to perform and sounds absolutely fabulous on the violin (I find that songs in a minor key are wonderful for the violin). Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Cathie

      Looking for men’s quartet or trio for Christmas using Sacred themes

      Reply
  13. Vernena

    Sally, Thank you for the beautiful arrangement of this Christmas Song. My daughter and I will be singing it at a Christmas concert and this is my favorite arrangement. Thank you for sharing your talent.

    Reply
  14. Greg Nathan

    Hi Sally,

    A fellow elder and I perform “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” in Church today as part of our Ward’s Sacrament program. Thanks for the lovely setting of this piece. I interpreted it for my instrument, the doubler bass. There were lots of favorable comments on our rendition. Thanks again for your work on this, and all that you do. Best regards. Sincerely. Greg

    Reply
  15. Carol

    Heard the hymn on public radio and earched for the lyrics on Google and found your rendition. Thanks because it gives me the lyrics and someone to sing Carols with. Nicely done. Happy Holidays!

    Reply
  16. Thom Carden

    Sally, thank you so much. Beautiful arrangements as always. Your recorded vocal helps so much by allowing me to rehearse with accompanist with out her present and rehearse solos over and over. Thank you again and God Bless in your talented efforts.

    Reply
  17. Stan Jackson

    I just discovered this beautiful Christmas hymn for the first time yesterday, played by the Piano Guys of St. George with pictures of the Savior in the background. I wanted to know more and then I found this site where you sing it. Now I can learn the words too. I am so happy. Your rendition is perfect. I listen to it about 5 times a day. I even downloaded it to my harddrive so I will always have it. Thank you so much. Stan Jackson

    Reply

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