Everything You Didn’t Know About the Christmas Carol, Silent Night
The Christmas holiday season would not be complete without the beloved Christmas carol “Silent Night.” Music teacher, Cassandra Portee gives everything you thought you knew about the carol, but didn’t
Silent Night is a favorite carol to sing and listen to during this time of year, and it always gives me comfort and peace from its lyrics and melody, helping to bring calmness and joy to one’s soul.
In 1818 in the small village of Oberndorf, Austria, a few miles from Salzburg, several people wanted to present a Christmas drama at their church. The church’s organ was not working and it would not be fixed before Christmas. The Christmas drama was performed in a private home. The drama caused Pastor Joseph Mohr to think about the birth of the Christ Child. On his way home, he stopped and looked down on a snow-covered village that had a peaceful look. The Christmas drama made him remember a poem he had written two years earlier. The poem was about the night the angels announced the birth of the Messiah. Mohr realized the words to his poem would be perfect for his congregation to sing for the church’s Christmas Eve service. There was only one problem---the organ was not working. The next day Mohr went to see Franz Gruber, the church organist. Gruber had only a few hours to compose a melody that could be sung with a guitar. For the Christmas Eve service, the congregation heard the carol accompanied by Gruber’s guitar.
Karl Mauracher, the organ builder, arrived several weeks later to repair the organ. Gruber tested the organ by playing the simple melody he had written for Mohr’s poem. Mauracher was so impressed with the song he took copies back with him to his Alpine village of Kapfing.
The Rainers and the Strassers, two well-known singing families in his village heard the song. Both singing families were so impressed with the song they put it into their Christmas repertoire.
The Silent Night Chapel, Oberndorf, Austria
The Strasser sisters sung the song throughout Europe and in 1834 they performed it for King Frederick William IV of Prussia. He was so moved by the song that he ordered it to be performed every Christmas Eve by his cathedral choir. Twenty years later the Rainers performed “Silent Night’ at New York City’s Trinity Church.
This carol started out with humble beginnings. There is nothing fancy about the song. The long-awaited Messiah had humble beginnings being born in a stable, and there was nothing fancy about His birth. To hear the song performed in its original version you must listen to it with only a guitar accompaniment. I believe the animals were quiet and still as the Christ Child was being born. I am sure they sensed there was something different about that night. Not only was it a silent night, it was also a holy night. What an appropriate title for a Christmas carol that tells of the angels’ announcement of the birth of our Redeeming Savior.
Cassandra Portee is an elementary music schoolteacher by day and has been for over 30 years. Her passion is music history and teaching about the lives of the classical composers. She’s also Seele’s copywriter. In her spare time she teaches piano lessons, works in the after school program at her school, volunteers on political campaigns, she’s involved in her church, she mentors young women, and she contributes to her community in planning events. Most weekends you can find her nestled in a bookstore, reading books with the latest seasonal latte.