Autograph of the carol by Gruber

"Silent Night" is a traditional and popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song Stille Nacht were written in German by the Austrian priest Fr. Josef Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz X. Gruber. The version of the melody that is generally sung today differs slightly (particularly in the final strain) from Gruber's original. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (901x644, 103 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Silent Night ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (901x644, 103 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Silent Night ... Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday that marks the traditional birthdate of Jesus of Nazareth. ... Singing carols: John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together A Christmas carol (also called a noël) is a carol (song or hymn) whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas, or the winter season in general. ... Lyrics are the words in songs. ... Josef Mohr was the Austrian priest who wrote the words to the Christmas carol, Silent Night. ... Mohr and Gruber on an Austrian stamp (1987) Franz Xaver Gruber (1787–June 7, 1863), was an Austrian primary school teacher and organist in the village of Oberndorf and then in Hallein, Salzburg. ...

History

The carol was first performed in the Nicola-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberndorf, Austria on December 25, 1818. Mohr had composed the words much earlier, in 1816, but on Christmas Eve brought them to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for them. The reason for this is that the organ at the Nicola-Kirche was not working that night. At first, Gruber didn't agree with Mohr's proposal because he was afraid that people who came to the church wouldn't like the music which was played with the guitar. But there was nothing else to do. Gruber finally accepted Mohr's proposal and worked on the music. When the music was composed, it was only a few hours before the Mass began. At first, people who came to the church were surprised to listen to the music because it was played with the guitar, but soon they were charmed by its sweet melody. Oberndorfbei Salzburg is an Austriantown, some 17 km north of Salzburg. ... December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 6 days remaining for the year. ... 1818 (MDCCCXVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Christmas Eve (1904-05), watercolor painting by the Swedish painter Carl Larsson (1853-1919) Christmas Eve, the evening of December 24th, the preceding day or vigil before Christmas Day, is treated to a greater or a lesser extent in most Christian societies as part of the Christmas season. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Silent Night Museum and Memorial Chapel in Oberndorf

The Nicola-Kirche was demolished in the early 1900s due to flood damage and due to the fact that 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. ImageMetadata File history File links Silentnight1. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Silentnight1. ... // First flight by the Wright brothers, December 17, 1903. ... Look up flood in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The original manuscript has been lost, however a manuscript was discovered in 1995 in Mohr's hand 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. 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A manuscript (Latin manu scriptus, written by hand), strictly speaking, is any written document that is put down by hand, in contrast to being printed or reproduced some other way. ... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and for the common people. ... Yodeling (or Yodelling) is a form of singing that involves rapidly switching from the chest voice to the head voice making a high-low-high-low sound. ...

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. Opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway 1825 (MDCCCXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Salzburg is a city in western Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg (population 150,000 in 2006). ...

English lyrics

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 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

Jesus (8–2 BC/BCE to 29–36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ...

Original German lyrics

from an 1860 autograph (Autograph VII) by Franz Gruber

Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!

Alles schläft; einsam wacht

Nur das traute heilige Paar.

Holder Knab im lockigen Haar,

Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!

Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!

Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!

Gottes Sohn! O wie lacht

Lieb´ aus deinem göttlichen Mund,

Da schlägt uns die rettende Stund,

Christ in deiner Geburt!

Christ in deiner Geburt!

Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!

Die der Welt Heil gebracht,

Aus des Himmels goldenen Höhn

Uns der Gnaden Fülle läßt seh´n

Jesum in Menschengestalt,

Jesum in Menschengestalt

Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!

Wo sich heut alle Macht

Väterlicher Liebe ergoß

Und als Bruder huldvoll umschloß

Jesus die Völker der Welt,

Jesus die Völker der Welt.

Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!

Lange schon uns bedacht,

Als der Herr vom Grimme befreit,

In der Väter urgrauer Zeit

Aller Welt Schonung verhieß,

Aller Welt Schonung verhieß.

Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!

Hirten erst kundgemacht

Durch der Engel Alleluja.

Tönt es laut aus Fern und Nah:

Christ, der Retter ist da!

Christ, der Retter ist da!

The modern German version has a few minor differences, and only the first, second, and sixth verses are usually sung.

Translations

It is believed that the carol has been translated into over 300 languages around the world, and it is one of the most popular carols of all time. It is often sung without musical accompaniment. Although written by Catholics, it is given special significance in the Lutheran church. The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ...

Trivia

The song was sung simultaneously in English and German by troops during the Christmas truce of 1914, as it was one of the few carols that soldiers on both sides of the frontline knew. A cross, left near Ypres in Belgium in 1999, to commemorate the site of the Christmas Truce in 1914. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

It was sung by an off-screen choir at the end of the 1951 film A Christmas Carol a.k.a. Scrooge. 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Scrooge (1951) is one of the best-known and most acclaimed film adaptations of Charles Dickenss A Christmas Carol. ...

In 1966 the duo Simon and Garfunkel released a version known as "Silent Night/7 O'Clock News", in which a news broadcast fades in over the course of the song, with the violent and tragic events of the news standing in contrast to the peaceful message of the song. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Simon and Garfunkel are an American popular music duo comprising Paul Simon and Arthur Art Garfunkel. ...

In 1977 American punk rock band The Dickies recorded an uptempo arrangement of "Silent Night", appropriately released by A&M Records on white vinyl. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... The picture cover of the Dickies 1979 Banana Splits (Tra La La Song) UK single The Dickies were amongst the first punk rock bands to emerge from Los Angeles, the first Californian punk band to appear on network television and the first Californian punk band to be signed to a... A&M Records is a record label formed in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss. ...

The song was used as part of a series of Christmas-themed horror films in the 1980s and 1990s: Silent Night, Deadly Night. Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday that marks the traditional birthdate of Jesus of Nazareth. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ... Germans dancing on the Berlin Wall in late 1989, the symbol of the cold war divide falls down as the world unites in the 1990s. ... Silent Night, Deadly Night is a slasher film that was released in 1984 and starred Robert Brian Wilson, Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, Britt Leach and Leo Geter. ...

In 1988 British pop duo Bros released the song as a double a side "Silent Night / Cat Among The Pigeons", although the duo altered the lyrics slightly. The single narrowly missed the top of the charts. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bros were a United Kingdom boy band active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, consisting of the brothers Matt Goss and Luke Goss (hence the name), along with Craig Logan. ...

Mariah Carey recorded it for her holiday album Merry Christmas in 1994. Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is an American pop and R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. ... Merry Christmas is the fifth studio album by American singer Mariah Carey, released in the United States on November 1, 1994 (see 1994 in music) by Columbia Records. ...

Bradley Joseph arranged an instrumental version of Silent Night on his 2000 album, Christmas Around the World. Bradley Joseph (born in 1965) is an American composer, pianist, keyboardist, arranger, and recording artist, performing on the international stage for many years with artists such as Yanni and Grammy-winner Sheena Easton, as well as having vast experience with artists from RCA, Epic Records, Warner Bros. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... For the article about, Christmas around the world, please see Christmas worldwide. ...

It is also featured as a hidden track on Damien Rice's album "O" in 2002. Damien Rice (born December 7, 1973) is an Irish alternative folkpop singer most famous for his album O. // Rice was born in born in Celbridge, County Kildare. ... O is the name of Damien Rices first album. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Beyoncé covered the song on 8 Days of Christmas, the holiday album of Destiny's Child. Beyoncé in 2004 with her five Grammys. ... 8 Days of Christmas is the fourth album and only Christmas album by Destinys Child, released in the United States in October 2001 (see 2001 in music). ... Destinys Child was a Grammy Award-winning American R&B girl group. ...

Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine covered this song into a jazzy swanky Big band on their 2006 album, "Silent Nightclub". Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine are a cover band and comedy act based in Los Angeles, California. ... A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from 1935 until the late 1940s. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Silent Nightclub is the sixth album from Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine, released September 26, 2006 (see 2006 in Music). ...

The song is featured to a certain degree in the opening of the classic Disney film Lady and the Tramp. An original song composed by Peggy Lee and Sonny Burke is sung on top of it. Disney may refer to: The Walt Disney Company and its divisions, including Walt Disney Pictures. ... Lady and the Tramp is the fifteenth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon. ... Peggy Lee (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002) was an American jazz singer and songwriter. ... Sonny Burke (Joseph Francis Burke) was born March 22, 1914 in Scranton, Pennsylvania and died May 31, 1980. ...

The Dallas, Texas men's chorus Turtle Creek Chorale traditionally ends its annual Christmas season concerts by singing the first verse of the carol, and then signing the verse in complete silence. The Turtle Creek Chorale is a mens chorus located in Dallas, Texas. ... For use of the term in mathematics, see signature (mathematics). ...

In Close-up's mini-cd "Season of Smiles" compilation of Christmas songs, it was performed by Sponge Cola. Sponge Colas debut album, Palabas Sponge Cola is a Filipino rock band founded by Yael Yuzon and Gosh Dilay during their high school years at Ateneo de Manila University. ...

Media

Image File history File links Silent_Night. ... Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ...

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Silent Night

• Stille-Nacht-Association, Salzburg
• Silent Night Web: translations (193 versions in 130 languages), notation, and history.
• Joseph Mohr Memorial Organ, Wagrain, Austria