O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

The Kingdom of Israel, the Abrahamic covenant and the scattering of the ten tribes — I have been pondering these lately.  I am studying Kerry Muhlestein’s book Learning to Love Isaiah.  I’m digging into the poetic devices Isaiah uses:  metonymy and synecdoche (had to look them up), similes, metaphors, personification and hyperbole.  Chiasmus and symbolism tend to stretch my puny brain.  I’m taking it VERY SLOWLY.  

In Muhlestein’s words, “One literary device Isaiah employs pervasively is imagery.  He expertly paints a picture with his words.  Furthermore, the pictures he paints usually create a powerful emotional reaction.  If we will stop and consider the imagery that Isaiah creates, we will learn that he has a way of helping us imagine and feel things in a way that touches the depths of our souls and stirs out hearts.” 

My reading has put me in a Kingdom-of-Israel kind of mood.  That is why I chose to arrange the Latin hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel this Christmas.  Music, too, has the ability to evoke strong imagery in the listener’s mind.  I hope that this musical offering helps create a contemplative mood — reflections of our Savior and His wonderful gift to mankind throughout the ages.

Terri Hutchings · O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Click HERE to download free sheet music