Advent Reflection on the O Antiphons of Healey Willan – Nicole Keller
Click here to listen to excerpts of Willan’s O Antiphons
When the days are gray – so full of gray, that time has no meaning. When the joy and celebration of the year’s growth has come to an end, and we prepare for the bitterness of winter. The harvest has been gathered in and stored; the seed has been sown for the next spring.
And we wait.
O Adonai, come to redeem us.
We teach each other that the word advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means, “coming”. In this season of watching and waiting, we ponder the Old Testament prophecies that tell us of God’s promised coming among us and of the incarnation of our deepest hope. We read the prophecies of Isaiah and see the future of God’s people. If we dig a little deeper, we can find that advent is a translation of the Greek word, parousia, which is used to speak of the second coming of Christ. So we are encouraged to look forward in anticipation of the redemption of the world through the presence of Risen Christ. We read Jesus’ story through the eyes of Mark, the Evangelist, who recalls Jesus’ warnings for all to be vigilant.
And we watch.
O Root of Jesse, come to deliver us.
The sounds of Advent fill the air – we hear the crunch of crusty snow, the stillness of the frozen air, and the calm of the death of all living things waiting to be reborn. We fill our minds with the sounds of crackling fireplaces and the warmth of the things that give us the most comfort. There is a haunting quietness about these sounds – even our music haunts us with quiet urgency and simple beauty that hurt and heal the soul. Each verse of our song begins the same – we call to God, using the many names found in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, and the names we only call upon in our hearts. We remember with joy and bitterness and ecstasy and tears the many works and blessings of God as we ponder our greatest failings and greatest redemptions. We hear with great faith the promise of God’s coming, and how the many powers of this world will be conquered.
And we listen.
O Rising Orb of day, come and enlighten those in darkness.
In the midst of the quiet death of winter, Advent blooms its brightest flower in hope. We see this hope in the sparkle of frost and the freshness of newly fallen snow. Our pleas for the God’s presence – come and rescue the prisoners who are in darkness and the shadow of death! – are uttered with this hope, not with desperation. The unpredictable phrases of our song are only mirrors of the unpredictability of life, and the fulfilled promises of God to Moses, Jesse, David, and all God’s children throughout the ages give us hope that the promises to us will also be fulfilled. Advent and its many songs, signs, and mysteries will be redeemed and fulfilled. Those in darkness will be enlightened, and all prisoners of mind and body will be set free. God breaks into humanity – through the fire of the burning bush, silencing the powers of earth, filling the world with the splendor of light, opening doors no one can shut – and heals our most desperate needs. We need not wait much longer.
And we hope.
O Emmanuel, come, O Lord and God, be our salvation
_____
The accompanying recording contains excerpts of the Great O Antiphons as set by Healey Willan (1880-1968). Most of the selections were not recorded in a studio, but in during the life of worship. You hear ambient noise in the background. You hear the cavernous space in the nave of the cathedral. These pieces – these texts – occur in the midst of everyday life, as do the many mysteries and hopes of Advent.
O Adonai
O Lord Eternal and Leader of the house of Israel,
who didst appear to Moses in the fire of the burning bush
and didst give the Law to him in Sinai,
come to redeem us by Thine outstretched arm.
O Radix Jesse
O Root of Jesse, who standest for an ensign of the people,
before whom kings shall keep their silence,
to whom the nations shall offer their petitions,
come to deliver us; wait not any longer.
O Oriens
Rising Orb of day,
Splendor of Light Eternal,
and Sun of Righteousness,
come and enlighten those who sit in darkness.
O Emmanuel
O Emmanuel,
Our king and lawgiver,
For whom the nations wait, their holy Savior:
Come, O Lord our God, be our salvation.
Nicole Keller is a solo and chamber music recitalist on organ and piano and a clinician in the fields of music, the organ, and church music. She currently serves as Director of Music for the Community of Saint John, a new, independent community of faith centered around the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Nicole is also Lecturer in Organ and Harpsichord at the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music in Berea, Ohio. She enjoys exploring the marriage of faith and music found in liturgy and art.