In 1818, a group of actors were performing
in many little towns throughout the Austrian Alps. On December 23 they
came to the tiny village of Oberndorf, where they planned to perform
the story of Christ's birth.
Sadly, the church's organ wasn't working and could not be
repaired in time for the show. The actors ended up presenting
their show in a private home. Their presentation touched the church's
assistant pastor, Josef Mohr. So, that night, instead of going
straight home, Mohr instead went up to a hill overlooking the village.
At the peak of the hill, he gazed down on beautiful snowy village
below. His thoughts kept drifting back to the Christmas play he
had just encountered. He remembered a poem he had written years
earlier, it was a reflection back on the night when Christ was born.
Mohr thought the lyrics could make a nice carol for his church to
sing the following at the Christmas eve service, but he didn't have a
tune to sing it to. So, Mohr went to see the church organist, Franz
Xaver Gruber. Using his guitar he composed a melody to attach
the poem to.
On Christmas Eve, Gruber and Mohr sang the song to their small
congregation.
Weeks later, a well-known organ builder Karl Mauracher came to
repair the church's organ. When he completed the task, Gruber tested
the instrument by playing the song he had written for Mohr's poem.
Mauracher was very impressed and took "Silent Night" back to his own
Alpine village, Kapfing. There, two well-known families of singers,
the Rainers and the Strassers, heard the song. Enthralled by it, both
groups added "Silent Night" to their Christmas season repertoire.
The Strasser sisters
exposed Northern Europe to the carol. In 1834, after their performance
of "Silent Night" for King Frederick William IV of Prussia, he
commanded his choir to sing it every Christmas eve.
The Rainers brought the song to the United States in 1839 where
they sang it (in German) at the Alexander Hamilton Monument located
outside New York City's Trinity Church.
In 1863, almost fifty years after being writing in German,
"Silent Night" was translated into English. Then in 1871 the
English version was published in an American hymnal: Charles Hutchins'
Sunday School Hymnal.
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
