Monday, December 22, 2014

Silent Night……

 

silent night

Source

 

Silent Night

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 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 dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth

 

History of the song:

The song was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 at St Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, a village on the Salzach river. The young priest, Father Joseph Mohr, had come to Oberndorf the year before. He had already written the lyrics of the song "Stille Nacht" in 1816 at Mariapfarr, the hometown of his father in the Salzburg Lungau region, where Joseph had worked as a coadjutor.

The melody was composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, schoolmaster and organist in the nearby village of Arnsdorf. Before Christmas Eve, Mohr brought the words to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the church service.[1] Both performed the carol during the mass on the night of December 24.

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.

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8 comments:

Rita C at Panoply said...

Beautiful photo, song and overall post, Des. Merry Christmas!
Rita

Anonymous said...

One of my favorite Christmas songs. I love the photo as it perfectly fits the post. The history is fascinating. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Junkchiccottage said...

Beautiful picture. One of my favorite songs too. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Looking forward to friendship and inspiration in the coming year.
Merry Christmas my friend.
Kris

Deanna said...

Gosh that's such a pretty picture. One of my very favorite Christmas songs. May you have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful new year.
Blessings,
d on the prairie

Cynthia said...

I really enjoyed learning the history of this song. It's one of my favorites

Cindy

Shirley@Housepitality Designs said...

Thanks for the history Des!...and that image is incredible!...Merry, Merry Christmas Des!!!

Lisa @ Texas Decor said...

Love this! It's one of my favorite songs. :) Wishing you a very merry Christmas! Looking forward to all your beautiful posts in 2015!

Red Rose Alley said...

My favorite Christmas song of all. Thanks for the history.

~Sheri