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"Silent Night" is a traditional and popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song Stille Nacht were written in German by the Austrian priest Fr. Josef Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz X. Gruber. The version of the melody that is generally sung today differs slightly (particularly in the final strain) from Gruber's original.
History
The carol was first performed in the Nicola-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberndorf, Austria on December 25, 1818. Mohr had composed the words much earlier, in 1816, but on Christmas Eve brought them to Gruber and asked him to compose a guitar accompaniment for them. The reason for this is unclear, since guitars were normally associated with drinking— perhaps Mohr simply wanted a new carol for the Midnight Mass, but tradition has it that the organ at the Nicola-Kirche was not working that night (a popular version of the story claims that mice had eaten out the bellows). The Nicola-Kirche was demolished in the early 1900s due to flood damage and due to the fact that the town's centre was moved up the river to a safer location, with a new church being built there close to the new bridge. A tiny chapel, called the "Stille-Nacht-Gedächtniskapelle" (Silent Night Memorial Chapel), was built in the place of the demolished church and a nearby house was converted into a museum, attracting tourists from all over the world, not only but primarily in December.
The original manuscript has been lost, however a manuscript was discovered in 1995 in Mohr's hand and dated by researchers at ca. 1820. It shows that Mohr wrote the words in 1816 when he was assigned to a pilgrim church in Mariapfarr, Austria, and shows that the music was composed by Gruber in 1818. This is the earliest manuscript that exists and the only one in Mohr's handwriting. Gruber's composition was influenced by the musical tradition of his rural domicile. The melody of Silent Night bears resemblance to aspects of Austrian folk music and Yodelling.
Another popular story claims that the carol, once performed, was promptly forgotten until an organ repairman found the manuscript in 1825 and revived it. However, Gruber published various arrangements of it throughout his lifetime and we now have the Mohr arrangement (ca. 1820) that is kept at the Carolino Augusteum Museum in Salzburg.
English lyrics
- 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,
- Heav'nly hosts sing Alleluia;
- Christ the Savior is born;
- Christ the Savior 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.
Original German lyrics
from an 1860 autograph (Autograph VII) by Franz Gruber
- Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
- Alles schläft; einsam wacht
- Nur das traute heilige Paar.
- Holder Knab im lockigten Haar,
- Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!
- Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!
- Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
- Gottes Sohn! O wie lacht
- Lieb´ aus deinem göttlichen Mund,
- Da schlägt uns die rettende Stund,
- Jesus in deiner Geburt!
- Jesus in deiner Geburt!
- Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
- Die der Welt Heil gebracht,
- Aus des Himmels goldenen Höhn
- Uns der Gnaden Fülle läßt seh´n
- Jesum in Menschengestalt,
- Jesum in Menschengestalt
- Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
- Wo sich heut alle Macht
- Väterlicher Liebe ergoß
- Und als Bruder huldvoll umschloß
- Jesus die Völker der Welt,
- Jesus die Völker der Welt.
- Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
- Lange schon uns bedacht,
- Als der Herr vom Grimme befreit,
- In der Väter urgrauer Zeit
- Aller Welt Schonung verhieß,
- Aller Welt Schonung verhieß.
- Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
- Hirten erst kundgemacht
- Durch der Engel Alleluja.
- Tönt es laut bei Ferne und Nah:
- Jesus, der Retter ist da!
- Jesus, der Retter ist da!
The modern German version has a few minor differences, and only the first, second, and sixth verses are usually sung.
Translations
It is believed that the carol has been translated into over 300 languages around the world, and it is one of the most popular carols of all time. It is often sung without musical accompaniment. It is given special significance in the Lutheran church.
Trivia
In 1965 the duo Simon and Garfunkel released a version known as "Silent Night/7 O'Clock News", in which a news broadcast fades in over the course of the song, with the violent and tragic events of the news standing in contrast to the peaceful message of the song.
In 1977 American punk rock band The Dickies recorded an uptempo arrangement of "Silent Night", appropriately released by A&M Records on white vinyl.
The song was used as part of a series of Christmas-themed horror films in the 1980s and 1990s: Silent Night, Deadly Night.
It was sung by an off-screen choir at the end of the 1951 film A Christmas Carol a.k.a. Scrooge.
The song was sung simultaneously in English and German by troops during the Christmas truce of 1914, as it was one of the few carols that soldiers on both sides of the frontline knew.
External links
- Silent Night Live Webcam, Salzburg
- Stille-Nacht-Association, Salzburg
- Silent Night Web: translations (180 versions in 121 languages), notation, and history.
Christmas carols | Christian hymns | Harry Connick, Jr. songs
Tawel Nos | Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht | Püha öö | Douce nuit, sainte nuit | Tiha noć | Astro del Ciel | Stille Nacht | きよしこの夜 | Glade jul | Glade jul | Cicha noc | Noite Feliz | Noapte de vis | Stilla natt, heliga natt | 平安夜 (歌曲)
"Silent Night"