The LSO was founded in 1904 as an independent, self governing organization,… Read Full Bio ↴The LSO was founded in 1904 as an independent, self governing organization, the first such orchestra in the UK. It played its first concert on 9 June of that year, with Hans Richter conducting. He remained principal conductor until 1911, when Edward Elgar took over for a year, leading six concerts as principal conductor.

More recently, its principal conductors have included Pierre Monteux (1961–64), Istvan Kertesz (1965–68), André Previn (1968–79) and Claudio Abbado (1979–88). From 1988-1995, the American Michael Tilson-Thomas took over, and in 1995, became principal guest conductor. Sir Colin Davis served as the LSO's Principal Conductor from 1995-2006, and in 2007 took the post of President of the orchestra. On 1 January 2007, Valery Gergiev became the LSO's Principal Conductor. Previn holds the title of Conductor Laureate. In 2006, Daniel Harding became the co-principal guest conductor alongside Tilson Thomas. Richard Hickox is the Associate Guest Conductor of the LSO.
The LSO became the first British orchestra to play overseas when it went to Paris in 1906. The LSO was due to sail on the RMS Titanic for a concert in New York in April 1912 but fortunately had to change the booking at the last minute. It was also the first to play in the United States, in 1912, and in 1973 it was the first to be invited to take part in the Salzburg Festival. It continues to make tours around the world.

In 1966 the London Symphony Chorus (LSC) was formed to complement the work of the LSO. with more that two hundred amateur singers, the LSC maintains a close association with the LSO; however it has developed an independent life, which allows it to partner other leading orchestras.

The LSO has long been considered the most extraverted of the London orchestras. For most of its life it refused to allow women to become members, ostensibly on the grounds that women would affect the sound of the orchestra (there has been a similar controversy at the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra). There is an air of youthful high spirits to much of its music-making that is shown off in performances of such composers as Berlioz and Prokofiev. The LSO has often had internationally-known players as wind soloists, including such artists as James Galway (flute), Gervase de Peyer (clarinet), Roger Lord (oboe), Osian Ellis (harp), John Georgiadis (violin) and Barry Tuckwell (horn). Like most ensembles, the orchestra has a great ability to vary its sound, producing very different tone colours under such diverse conductors as Stokowski (with whom it made a series of memorable recordings), Adrian Boult, Jascha Horenstein, Georg Solti, André Previn, George Szell, Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, John Barbirolli, and Karl Böhm, who developed a close relationship with the orchestra late in his life. Böhm and Bernstein each held the title of LSO President in their later years.

Clive Gillinson, a former cellist with the orchestra, served as the LSO's Managing Director from 1984 to 2005, and is widely credited with bringing great stability to the LSO's organization after severe fiscal troubles.[1] Since 2005, Kathryn McDowell is the Managing Director of the LSO.[2]

O Come O Come Emmanuel
London Symphony Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye,
O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him
Born the King of angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,
Christ, the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens
Of heaven above;
Glory to God,
Glory in the highest;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ, the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
Jesus, to Thee be
All glory given;
Son of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,
Christ, the Lord.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to the London Symphony Orchestra's song O Come O Come Emmanuel express the joy and excitement of the faithful as they journey to Bethlehem to witness the birth of the King of angels, Jesus Christ. The first stanza urges the faithful to come and behold the infant king, and to adore Him. The second stanza calls upon the choirs of angels and the citizens of heaven to join in singing the praises of God, who has sent His son to be the savior of the world. The final stanza greets the newborn Christ with all glory given to Him, acknowledging Him as the son of the Father, now appearing in the flesh.

The lyrics convey a sense of urgency and excitement, as if the singer is inviting the audience to join in the celebration of Christ's birth. The repetition of "O come, let us adore Him," emphasizes the call to worship, while the use of a chorus of voices and the soaring melody of the orchestra create a powerful emotional impact. The final stanza, in particular, expresses the wonder and awe of Christ's birth, as the faithful realize that God has come to earth in human form.

Overall, the lyrics to O Come O Come Emmanuel speak to the deep reverence and joy that Christians feel at Christmas time, as they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the savior of the world.

Line by Line Meaning

O come, all ye faithful,
Come, everyone who believes and is loyal,

Joyful and triumphant,
Happily and victoriously,

O come ye,
Come,

O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come to Bethlehem;

Come and behold Him
Come and see Him,

Born the King of angels;
The King of angels, who was born;

O come, let us adore Him,
Let us praise and worship Him,

Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing, all choirs of angels,

Sing in exultation,
Sing joyfully,

Sing, all ye citizens
Sing, all inhabitants,

Of heaven above;
Who live in the heavens above;