Silent Night, Holy Night

This carol, arguably the most loved of any, was first heard on Christmas Eve in 1818 in a church near Salzburg, in Austria. The words were by a priest, Josef Mohr, and the music by a schoolmaster, Franz Zaver Gruber. The first performance was perhaps underscored, as the instrument was a guitar.  Since then, the carol has been translated into many languages and has been sung all over the world.

Every pop star has recorded a version, and it is perhaps the only carol to have its own website. You can find Silent Night recordings, recipes, bedding, television episodes, and movies, all stemming from the vision inspired by the carol. Austria has recognized Silent Night as almost its national anthem, and there is a museum at Mohr’s birthplace dedicated to the history and myths surrounding it.

Most poignant in its history is the moment on Christmas Eve, 1914, when German and English troops sang the carol in the trenches, at a moment when for once the guns were silent.

We are by now accustomed to hearing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Vienna Boys’ Choir, and the choir of King’s College, Cambridge take the music well beyond that initial simple guitar accompaniment. But it may be that the reason the carol is so much loved is that it is easy to sing; it does not tax the abilities of even the musically challenged.

It seems extraordinary that a schoolmaster and a priest in a small Austrian village should have produced a carol that is known and loved everywhere that Christmas is celebrated. Perhaps the peacefulness of a snowy night in the early 19th century has contributed more to peace in the world than all the diplomats and presidents.

Silent Night, Holy 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

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth “