The song was written by Joseph
Mohr almost 200 years ago, in 1816 while he was a young priest in Austria. Mohr
was transferred the following year to St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf and
on Christmas Eve he asked Franz Gruber to compose a guitar melody for the poem he had
written. Gruber complied and the two men performed the song
for the midnight service on Christmas Eve.
The men called it simply Tyrolean Folk Song.
Why did Mohr
ask specifically for a guitar melody? Some speculate that it was because the
organ was out of order. There is a legend that the bellows had been chewed by a mouse, creating holes that allowed the air to escape. Without the bellows, the organ's mighty voice was silenced so Mohr, being the new priest and desparate for something musical on Christmas Eve, had the poem set to music. There is no verification of that legend, but it is true that the organ, as with many organs in those days, required constant repair.
Perhaps Mohr just wanted a guitar
melody he could play in church because he loved to play guitar. It is a fact that
a master organ builder who had repaired the organ many times happened to hear
the hymn being sung and obtained a copy which he took home with him to the Ziller
Valley region. At the time there were
two families of traveling singers (like the Von Trapp family in Sound of Music)
in the Ziller Valley. They heard the song and added it to their performances.
They changed a few notes here and there and the song became the one we know
today, but it was still written and sung in German.
In 1839 the
Rainer Family came to America and the song was first performed here in New York City; by this
time its title had been changed to Stille Nacht. It was eventually translated
into English in 1859 by John Freeman Young, and included in his book CAROLS FOR
CHRISTMAS TIDE, with the title Silent Night.
For many
years it was assumed that the music for Silent Night was composed by one of the
famous composers of the time (Beethoven, Haydn, or Mozart). Franz Gruber wrote to the
emperor claiming that he had written the music but his claim was ignored. The
controversy over the composer was put to rest almost 180 years later in 1995
when a manuscript in Mohr’s handwriting was found, with notes that he wrote the lyrics and that
Franz Gruber wrote the melody.
Whatever the reasons behind its composition, the song resonated then and still resonates today with singers and listeners everywhere. It's peacful, awe-filled words strike to the very heart of the Christmas season and transport us all to that silent night over 2000 years ago.
Silent Night
Silent night! Holy
night!
All is calm, all is bright,
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child!
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight!
Glories stream from Heaven afar,
Heavenly Hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour, is born!
Christ, the Saviour, is born!
All is calm, all is bright,
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child!
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight!
Glories stream from Heaven afar,
Heavenly Hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour, is born!
Christ, the Saviour, is born!
Son of God, loves pure light
Radiant beams from Thy Holy Face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy Birth!
Jesus, Lord, at Thy Birth!
Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
I've always loved the story of this song...
ReplyDeleteand the song itself, of course.
Merry Christmas!
=)