O Come Emmanuel from Hanneke Cassel

O Come O Come Emmanuel is music for the season of Advent that goes back in time. Far back, that is: it is a latin hymn thought to have first been sung in the ninth century.

Star of Wonder is a tune recetly composed by New England based musician Hanneke Cassel.

Cassel pairs the two in a thoughtful and intriguing way to open ehr album on which you will find them recorded. She chose the title from that pairing, as well: the album is called. O come Emmanuel.

With this opener, Cassel sets the tone and begins the journey on which she takes her listeners through the music on the album.

She offers creative re-imagining of winter season classics alongside thoughtful original music in a journey that becomes both timely and timeless.

Hanneke Cassel’s instrument is the fiddle (she’s ace on piano too).

Among other things, she is the former US Scottish National Fiddle Champion.

She began studying music with Texas style Western swing. When her teacher challenged her to learn the music of Scotland, she did, but was a bit impatient with it.

When she won a chance to study on the Isle of Skye, though that changed. She set her course toward what would be a musical practice rooted and grounded in the music of Scotland and of its Canadian Celtic cousin, Cape Breton.

All that said, Cassel brings her own background and interests into her exploration and creation of Celtic music.

She grew up in Oregon and came east to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, receiving a degree in violin performance, and these days. sometimes returning as a guest instructor. Though she’s brought her music across the US and across the world to places including China and Kenya, she remains based in New England.

On O come Emmanuel Hanneke does not sing herself. She does, however, invite in musical friends from differing points of the compass to add their voices to several of the tracks, and partners with them beautifully with her playing.

Musical friends joining in on instruments are Christopher Lewis, Keith Murphy, Yann Falquet, Mike Block, Jeremy Kittel, Jenna Moynihan, Casey Driessen, and Tim Downing. The really are musical friends, too: each of them have worked with Cassel in duo, trios, and other ensembles.

The music on O Come Emmanuel is a creative mix of song and tune, well known pieces and original music, all in the spirit of winter, Christmas, family , and friendship.

Tracks include See Amid the Winter Snow, O come All Ye Faithful, Dancing Among the Cloud, Eilidh’s Christmas Morning, and Silent Night withe verses sung in four languages with Hanneke’s fiddle taking a verse as well as backing the singers.

In her sleeve notes, Hanneke writes among her thanks a note to thank he mom and dad “for filling the house with Christmas music every year-- from Handel to Amy Grant to Mannheim Steamroller to Raffi to Emmylou Harros --one of my favorite parts of the season is getting outthat stack of CDs.”

Once you’ve listened to O Come Emmanuel from Hanneke Cassel. you’ll be adding this recording to your stack of well loved seasonal classics, as well.

You may also wish to see
Hanneke Cassel’s web site
I’ve introduced you to several of Hanneke’s earlier recordings. Here are stories of several:
Dot the Dragon's Eyes (and several albums from others to explore
Trip to Walden Pond

an earlier story about Hanneke's career, at Perceptive Travel
For Reasons Unseen

For a time Hanneke toured backing up Irish American singer Cathie Ryan. You can hear Hanneke’s work especially well on Ryan’s album The Farthest Wave.

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