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!
Silent night! Holy night!
Wondrous star, lend thy light;
with the angels let us sing
“Alleluia” to our King:
“Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born.”
Story Behind the Song:
In the small village of Oberndorf, near Salzburg, Austria, on Christmas Eve of 1818, the assistant priest Joseph Mohr found that the church’s organ was broken. Desiring to have a special musical accompaniment for the Christmas Eve service, Mohr approached the schoolteacher and organist, Franz Xaver Gruber, with a poem he had written two years earlier.
The poem, titled “Stille Nacht” in German, was originally written by Mohr as a reflection on the peacefulness of Christmas. Mohr asked Gruber to create a simple musical setting for the poem that could be performed with a guitar because of the organ’s malfunction.
That night, “Silent Night” was performed for the first time in St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf. Mohr sang the tenor part, and Gruber played the guitar and sang the bass part. The song captivated the congregation with its gentle melody and heartfelt lyrics, creating an intimate and magical atmosphere.
The carol’s fame began to spread when the Strasser family, a traveling singing group, discovered the song in the 1830s. They performed it in concerts throughout Europe, helping to popularize “Silent Night.”
In 1839, the Rainer Family, another Tyrolean singing group, introduced the song to the United States during a performance in New York City. From there, it gained widespread recognition and became a Christmas classic.
“Silent Night” has been translated into numerous languages and recorded by countless artists. Its simplicity, beauty, and the story of its humble origins continue to make it a cherished part of Christmas celebrations around the world, embodying the spirit of peace and goodwill.