Silent Night (song)
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"Silent Night" ("Stille Nacht") is a traditional and popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song Stille Nacht were written in German by the priest Father 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. Today, the lyrics and melody are in the public domain.
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[edit] 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 melody and guitar accompaniment for them.
In his written account regarding the composition of the carol, Gruber gives no mention of the specific inspiration for creating the song. According to the song's history provided by Austria's Silent Night Society, one supposition is that the church organ was no longer working so that Mohr and Gruber therefore created a song for accompaniment by guitar. Silent Night historian, Renate Ebeling-Winkler says that the first mention of a broken organ was in a book published in the U.S. in 1909.
Some historians believe that Mohr simply wanted a new Christmas carol that he could play on his guitar. The Silent Night Society says that there are "many romantic stories and legends" that add their own anecdotal details to the known facts.
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 handwriting 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.
It is believed that the carol has been translated into over 300 languages and dialects around the world, and it is one of the most popular carols of all time. It is sometimes sung without musical accompaniment. Although written by Catholics, it is given special significance in Lutheranism.
[edit] Recording History
- All Angels (2006)
- Andy Williams
- Burl Ives
- David Young (2006)
- Luis Miguel (2006)
- Libera (2006)
- André Rieu (2006)
- King's College Choir (1969, 1979, 1984)
- Vienna Boys Choir
- John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers
[edit] Lyrics
[edit] Germanfrom an 1860 autograph (Autograph VII) by Franz Gruber
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[edit] Literal Translationof the original German
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SPANISH Noche de paz, noche de amor, Todo duerme en derredor. Entre sus astros que esparcen su luz Bella anunciando al niñito Jesús. Brilla la estrella de paz, Brilla la estrella de paz. Noche de paz, noche de amor, Todo duerme en derredor. Sólo velan en la oscuridad Los pastores que en el campo están Y la estrella de Belén, Y la estrella de Belén. Noche de paz, noche de amor, Todo duerme en derredor. Sobre el santo niño Jesús Una estrella esparce su luz, Brilla sobre el Rey, Brilla sobre el Rey. Noche de paz, noche de amor, Todo duerme en derredor; Fieles velando allí en Belén Los pastores, la madre también, Y la estrella de paz, Y la estrella de paz. http://spanish.about.com/od/spanishchristmascarols/a/noche_de_paz.htm the site where i found it [edit] English
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The modern German version has a few minor differences, e. g. in the sixth verse, the text has been changed to "Tönt es laut von Fern und Nah", as the original with "bei" sounds a bit dated; so does the "e" in "Ferne". "Von Fern und Nah" is a consolidated German idiom. Moreover, only the first, second, and sixth verses are usually sung.
A common Nazi song replaced the words to the German carol Silent Night with the following lyrics:
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[edit] Trivia
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 front line knew.
This song was reportedly the favorite Christmas carol of President Lyndon Johnson and his wife. (See Christmas at the White House.)
The Irish singer/songwriter Damien Rice plays a version of Silent Night on a hidden track from the album O, with modified lyrics.
[edit] External Links
- History of song
- Stille-Nacht-Association, Salzburg
- Silent Night Web: translations (193 versions in 130 languages), notation, and history.
- Joseph Mohr Memorial Organ, Wagrain, Austria
