Silent Night: Difference between revisions
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== History == |
== History == |
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The carol was first performed in the Nikolaus-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in [[Oberndorf bei Salzburg|Oberndorf]], [[Austria]] on December 24, 1818. Mohr had composed the |
The carol was first performed in the Nikolaus-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in [[Oberndorf bei Salzburg|Oberndorf]], [[Austria]] on December 24, 1818. Mohr had composed the woCOCK MUNCHERrds much earlier, in 1816, but on [[Christmas Eve]] brought them to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and [[guitar]] accompaniment for the church service<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/christmas/carols_2.shtml BBC Religion & Ethics]</ref>. |
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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. |
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. |
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Revision as of 15:50, 9 December 2008
Silent Night (Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht) is a popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song Stille Nacht were written in German by the Austrian priest Father Josef Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber. In 1863, John Freeman Young translated the song into the English version sung today. 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.
History
The carol was first performed in the Nikolaus-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberndorf, Austria on December 24, 1818. Mohr had composed the woCOCK MUNCHERrds much earlier, in 1816, but on Christmas Eve brought them to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the church service[1].
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 Nikolaus-Kirche was demolished in the early 1900s due to flood damage and because 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.
The song was sung simultaneously in English and German by troops during the Christmas truce[2] of 1914, as it was one of the few carols that soldiers on both sides of the front line knew.
The song has been successfully recorded by over 300 artists, particularly successful in hit versions by Enya, Stevie Nicks, Bing Crosby and Mahalia Jackson, and an instrumental version by Mannheim Steamroller. There have also been choral recordings by the King's College Choir and the Vienna Boys Choir.
In 1943 the Austrian exile Hertha Pauli wrote the book "Silent Night. A Story of a Song", in which she explained to American children the origin of the song. The book was illustrated by Fritz Kredel and published by Alfred a. Knopf. [3]
A 1988 dramatised television documentary called Silent Mouse tells the story of the creation of the carol from a mouse's point of view. It featured Lynn Redgrave as narrator, and Gregor Fisher in one of the leading roles.
Lyrics
| Music: Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818 Words: Josef Mohr, 1816 |
Translation: John Freeman Young |
|---|---|
|
Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! |
Silent night, holy night |
“Halleluia!” is used sometimes in place of “Alleluia”. “Alleluia″ is the original useage.
Samples
Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end
Arrangements
- Bertold Hummel: SILENT NIGHT, 3 Variations for Speaker and mixed Choir a cappella. [4]
References
- ^ BBC Religion & Ethics
- ^ Stanley Weintraub Silent Night: The Remarkable Christmas Truce of 1914. New York: Free Press, 2001.
- ^ Hertha Pauli Silent Night. A Story of a Song. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1943.
- ^ http://www.bertoldhummel.de/english/commentaries/opus_silentnight.html
External links
- Free arrangements for piano and voice from Cantorion.org (cc-by-sa)
- Stille-Nacht-Association, Salzburg, text and music, verse1 (de), verse4 (de)
- History of song
- Silent Night Web: translations (193 versions in 130 languages), notation, and history.
- Joseph Mohr Memorial Organ, Wagrain, Austria