"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14
Not long after the end of the Napoleonic wars, in 1816, a young assistant priest at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, Austria named Joseph Mohr wrote the poem "Stille Nacht!" There is much speculation about how the words came to Mohr -- some stories have him inspired by walking through the snow-covered streets of Obendorf in the calm and quiet of late evening. Perhaps at last experiencing true peace after years of war with France.
Whatever the circumstances behind the lyrics to the carol we know as "Silent Night", we do know that Mohr gave them to the church choir director and organist Franz Xavier Gruber and asked him to compose a song for the 1818 Christmas Eve service. Father Mohr and Franz Gruber sang "Silent Night" as a duet for the first time on Christmas Eve accompanied by Mohr's guitar. It is widely reported that the church organ was out of commission, and thus the guitar was employed. Again, we don't know this for certain, but there's no question that the gentle guitar accompaniment best suits this song.
With more than 700 recordings of "Silent Night" to date, it is the most popular Christmas carol of all time. There is one more interesting story behind this beloved hymn. In 1914, during the Christmas truce of World War I, German and English soldiers joined together to sing "Silent Night" in their native tongues. What a tribute to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace!
Today's music video is a modern arrangement of the classic Christmas hymn Silent Night with lyrics from the album and devotional, "The Soul Felt Its Worth". Arranged and Recorded by Nathan Drake; Written by Franz Xaver Gruber and Joseph Mohr, 1818.
Praying you'll have a beautiful, peaceful Christmas.
Dear Nancy, Merry Christmas to you. And a blessed new year to come. Lynn
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite Christmas songs, Silent Night is a wonderful reminder. My most favorite is Mark Lowry's "Mary Did You Know". As the writer of the song, I think his version is the best. Wishing you the happiest Christmas.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and love,
Betsy
Nancy, thank you for your comforting posts. Silent Night is a beautiful hymn. It's one of my favorite after 'Minuit Chrétien.' Wishing you a peaceful Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThank you Nancy! That song always makes me so nostalgic, for days gone by and when I was a child. Merry Christmas to you! Marilyn
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite Christmas hymns. My aunt sang it in German (my mom's side of my family were German) and I learned the words from her.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!