One of my favorite Christmas carols has always been O Come All Ye Faithful. This year, I learned something new about the song.
As the New York Times said, “Of all the music heard around Christmas, few passages rival the awe and mystery of one chord known as the
”Word of the Father” chord.
It’s a rare instance of powerful drama...a moment of total release, embracing the unknown...
In a mid-20th century arrangement by David Willcocks, ... following a rising figure full of anticipations, he places an explosive, half-diminished seventh chord under the text “Word,” resolving it elaborately over the next few measures.
