8th Day of Christmas in Song - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

I love to hear this song during Christmas time. It's very stirring and poignant. Interestingly, the origin of the song is unknown, but most of my research believes it originated in the 8^th Century!

The lyrics are said to be based on Isaiah 7:14 – God will send Isreal a sign and he will be called Emmanuel. Isaiah is fulled of "O Antiphons" such as "O Emmanuel," "O Rod of Jessie," "O Dayspring," "O Key of David," and "O Wisdom," and these "O Antiphons" are contained within the text of the song.

The text is said to be translated from the Latin text "Veni, Veni Emmanuel," by John Mason Neale. Neale was an Anglican Priest who could speak over 20 languages. He was sent to do missionary work in a church in the Maderia Islands near Africa. While there, he came across the Latin text, "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel." He translated the text and an old, 8^th Century hymn was given new life. The musical aspect of the song is harder to pin down. It appears to have several influences including music from Arvo Part, Ottorino Respighi, and Zoltan Kodaly.

Author Bio: Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 Dispatcher for LAPD. She still hangs real Candy Canes on her tree.

Question for You: Do you still hang real candy canes on the tree?

THE COUNT'S LAIR

BOOK 2, BUDAPEST MOON SERIES

BLURB: Count Anton Varga dares Lady Amelia Andrássy to discover the dark secret he hides from the rest of the world.

Opening:

Her swift fingers rushed over the keys like a flood of water tumbling over a dam. Heart pounding. Angst-filled. Troubled. Her brow wrinkled. Her body tensed and coiled, ready to pounce. With one final rush, the passionate notes of Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique filled the concert hall. Drained, numb from the gut-wrenching release of emotion, Amelia hung her head, fighting for breath as the concert hall filled with thunderous applause.

She kept her head down for an extra second, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. The accolades, the applause, the approval was all for her -- yet it still felt hollow.

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