"Silent Night, Holy Night" (German: "Stille Nacht,
heilige Nacht") is a popular Christmas carol. The
original lyrics of the song "Stille Nacht" were written
in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria, by the priest
Father Joseph Mohr and the melody was composed by the
Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber. In 1859.
A legend tells of a stressful Christmas eve in a small
town called Oberndorf in Bavaria. The local Catholic
church's organ had just died that day in 1818, and the
curate, a junior ...(+)
"Silent Night, Holy Night" (German: "Stille Nacht,
heilige Nacht") is a popular Christmas carol. The
original lyrics of the song "Stille Nacht" were written
in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria, by the priest
Father Joseph Mohr and the melody was composed by the
Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber. In 1859.
A legend tells of a stressful Christmas eve in a small
town called Oberndorf in Bavaria. The local Catholic
church's organ had just died that day in 1818, and the
curate, a junior priest, named Father Mohr and the
church's musician, Franz Gruber, scrambled to write
music for the evening's service.
Father Mohr offered a poem he had written about
Christmas Eve, and his talented colleague set the words
to music. The result, "Silent Night", captivated the
worshippers, and the carol spread through Germany and,
in turn, the rest of the world.
Scholars argue, however, that there is no evidence that
"Silent Night" was written under pressure. Evidence
suggests the organ was not broken. Apparently, people
in Bavaria enjoyed folk carols, simple melodies for
choirs without organ accompaniment, in that region of
the country to celebrate Jesus' birth on Christmas Eve.
In addition, church musicians such as Franz Gruber, who
wrote the music to "Silent Night," routinely improvised
service music and wrote new music to celebrate the
Christian life in worship.
I created this arrangement for Violin, Viola & Concert
(Pedal) Harp.
SHEET MUSIC