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
Immortal words, and a familiar song if you celebrate Christmas. This is one of my favorite Christmas carols, not only for the beautiful melody or message it carries, but also for the story of how this - the world's most popular Christmas song - came to exist.
It was a snow-covered Christmas Eve in the small Austrian village of Obendorf in 1818. Tragedy has struck for the local priest, Joseph Mohr. Midnight Mass was only hours away, and the Chapel's organ was broken. Mohr, and the village teacher, Franz Xavier Gruber, who also served as the organist, struggled regarding what to do. How would the people of the village sing at the service that night without an organ to accompany them?
An idea came to Mohr. Two years earlier, he had written he titled Stille Nacht - "Silent Night". He took the poem and gave it to Gruber to compose a simple melody for, one that could be accompanied by a guitar. Gruber wrote the melody and that night at Midnight Mass, it was sung by a small choir before the people of the village.
I sang this song in both English and the original German as part of a middle school choir for a Christmas concert when I was in the sixth grade. While I doubt I could correctly pronounce or even recall the German lyrics to this carol, my love for this song has remained. A few years later, I learned of the origins of this beloved song and have loved the tale ever since.
This Christmas season, I hope that you, like me, will join the Heavenly Hosts singing 'Alleluia' to our Savior's birth.
