O Come, All Ye Faithful (Anniversary Carols) [Alf:36-J91102]

O COME, ALL YE FAITHFUL is probably the most popular Christmas hymn (as distinguished from carol) in America. Although its origins remained obscure for more than two centuries, this originally Latin hymn (Adeste Fideles) can now be attributed with certainty to John Francis Wade (1711-1786), a teacher of music who specialized in copying plainchant for use in chapels and homes of prominent families in France. It was translated into English by the Rev. Frederick Oakley in 1842 and was first printed in Murray's Hymnal in 1852 in England. Jackson Berkey has a lively arrangement, with a striking treatment of the refrain.