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Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful)

The Latin Christmas hymn known from John Francis Wade’s manuscripts of the 1740s and 1750s, sung in Latin: the whole first verse and the refrain “Venite adoremus” three times before the closing “Dominum.”

Adestefideleslaetitriumphantes…
One repetition of the pattern. In the app it is transposed to your vocal range and scored note by note.

Adeste Fideles is a Latin Christmas hymn. Its earliest known versions are in manuscripts copied in the 1740s and 1750s by John Francis Wade, an English Catholic living in France; in English it is sung as “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” You sing the first verse in Latin, as choirs around the world still do: the verse, then the refrain “Venite adoremus” three times and the closing “Dominum.” The verse has a leap of a sixth and a leap of an octave; the rest moves mostly by step. It has 61 notes and takes about 55 seconds.

How to do it

  1. Wait for the two count-in clicks; the piano plays the first phrase alone, then plays along.
  2. On “fideles, laeti,” jump a sixth up from the low “-les” to “lae-” and land it cleanly.
  3. Sing the two-note syllables “ni” and “Beth” as one smooth movement.
  4. After the long “hem,” jump an octave up to “Natum.”
  5. Keep the three “Venite adoremus” lines at the same volume and finish on a steady “Dominum.”

Coach's tip: Before “Natum,” hear the octave above and jump straight to it. Sing the three “Venite adoremus” lines evenly and save air for the long closing “Dominum.”

What to watch out for

The leap of a sixth and the octave leap in the verse are both easy to undershoot; hear the top note before you jump. Long notes such as “Bethlehem” and the closing “Dominum” tend to sag, so keep the air moving. In the refrain a similar short figure returns three times at different heights; listen to the piano to keep each one in tune. Latin vowels are pure: keep “e” and “i” open and steady.

Who it's for

Level 1, for beginners who want a calm, singable hymn and for anyone who sings in a choir. Warm up with Octave leap 1-8-1 and Interval: major sixth. No program lists it. The daily training brings it up more often if you chose the Classical & choir style. It sits well in the main block of a session.

Practice this exercise

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