Release of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"
Greetings from Portland, Oregon! I hope wherever you are, you're having a beautiful Winter Solstice, December 21. My holiday single of 2019, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," is out now! May it find a cozy home in your holiday playlists. You can stream, purchase and listen in online musical places:
This song was made possible by my patrons over at Patreon. It's never too late to jump in on the fun! Click below to join the team.
The story behind the song
One of the holiday traditions in my family is singing Christmas carols around the dinner table. I usually use the guitar to accompany us, because it's much easier to bring up to the table than a piano! My husband told me how much he enjoyed my guitar playing, and he encouraged me to write and record more songs using the guitar. Piano is my primary instrument, and I’ve never thought of myself as much of a guitar player… more campfire-style than professional. But I decided to take him up on it, and for this Christmas, recorded our family’s favorite Advent carol to sing at the table, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." There's something special about this historic antiphon - the haunting minor key, the yearning, the expectation. It's important to me that my recordings are spiritually inclusive, and I believe this one fits the bill. The lyrics show a connection between Judaism and Christianity, but also a universal desire for peace, life, renewal, and hope.
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel” releases on December 21, 2019, the night of the Winter Solstice. It’s our darkest, longest night of the year, and the days that follow reveal more light. I hope this recording inspires us all to become more comfortable with darkness, and reflect on the joy and hope of the holiday season.
Lyrics:
O come, O come Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the lamb of God appear
O come, thou Dayspring come and cheer
Our spirits by thine advent here
Disperse the darkened clouds of night
And all death's shadows put to flight
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel
O come, desire of nations bind
All people in one heart and mind
Bid thou our sad divisions cease
And be thyself our Prince of Peace
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel
Naomi LaViolette: arrangement, percussion & vocals
Tim Karplus: guitars, bass, arrangement, engineering & vocals
Jeanot Lewis-Rolland: engineering, mixing
The artwork to accompany “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” features a photograph taken at Trillium Lake in Oregon by Loyd Towe, a nature photographer living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
This nighttime photo was captured during a new moon. Check out those stars! Stargazing always makes me feel connected to the ancients and wonderfully small. I believe it’s one of the few things that humans of all generations, origins and walks of life can connect on - the stars are amazing.
Although “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” is a Christmas song, I didn’t want to use overtly Christmas-y artwork. Instead, I wanted an image that conveyed both darkness AND hope, and this photo fits the bill perfectly. And I just LOVE that it focuses on a Portland landmark, Mt. Hood. I’m a true Oregonian.
See more of Loyd’s beautiful photography at loydtowe.com.
It brings me so much joy to feature talented visual artists alongside my songs. Thank you, thank you, to Loyd!
Finally, for any of you curious about my creative process, I thought I’d share a few notes about the composition of this song and musical choices in the writing, arrangement, and recording.
At the recording studio, guitar in hand, I played through the carol in 6/8 time (it’s usually in 4/4). I added some unexpected pauses in the vocal line, and adapted the lyrics to be as gender and spiritually inclusive as I could make them, while still honoring the original carol. My good friend and guitarist Tim Karplus went along with my ideas, and we worked together to create the track. It’s a combination of acoustic instruments - guitar, tambourine, glockenspiel, shaker and drums - with a very present electric guitar, both with finger-picking and ambient swells, and electric bass. My hope is that the electronic elements make it dark, spacey and other-worldly, but sounds like the tambourine keep it Christmas-y.
So much thanks to my patrons over at Patreon; it's because of their support that I'm able to write, record, and release new music throughout the year. Extra shout out to patrons pledged at $15/month and above (their names go on everything I make): Lauren Rykert, Wayne Richards, Steve & Joni Goodwin, Tom & Karol Rykert, Caryn Tilton, Dwight & Penny Van Vleet, Melissa Canaday, Grace & Mike Rich, Jan Schaeffer, Jennifer Davis, Jeri Haskins, & Pat Reser.
Friends, thank you for your interest in my musical work. It means so much to me to share it with you. May music and the holiday season help us all feel more connected.