The Stories Behind Classic Christmas Carols: Silent Night

Whether we are talking about sleigh rides or carolling out of doors as the snow gently falls, there is just something special about being outside on a cold, frosty night. Prior to the introduction of technology into our lives, we used to spend more time outside than we do now. As a young boy, I can clearly remember playing road hockey until bedtime under the streetlamp’s glow. Sometimes we would build snow forts in our yards and have epic snowball wars that would go on until our mothers called us in for supper or for bed. If a bath was mandated before bed, oh how that hot water stung our cold skin! Being out under the stars with our breath billowing like clouds before us was a regular part of being a child in my generation. It was for many centuries before us, too. Today’s classic Christmas carol has its origins in the winter’s cold, crisp night air. It is a simple story of a beautiful song that remains as popular today as it was when it was first sung in the early 1800s. That song is “Silent Night”. 

The words to “Silent Night” first appeared in the form of a poem written by a priest named Josef Mohr. His poem was called Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht, which translates into “Silent Night, Holy Night”. This poem was written while Mohr was serving in the Napoleonic Wars. His eloquent plea for peace amid the insanity and depravity of war sat tucked away for several years, forgotten among his private papers. After the war ended, Mohr was transferred to a small Austrian town not too far from Salzburg named Oberndorf. It was while in Oberndorf that two things happened simultaneously that caused Mohr’s poem to spring back to life. The first was a flood. This flood was not of biblical proportions but it was severe enough to have damaged the church in which Mohr was the priest. Most importantly for the sake of this story, the flood waters damaged the church organ. While Mohr was considering the logistics of how he was going to conduct his next church service under such conditions, a group of traveling minstrels came to town. Their show concerned a reenactment of the story of the Nativity. Watching this play filled Mohr’s heart and calmed his fretful mind. After the show ended, Mohr felt at peace and decided to take a longer, more scenic route back to his home. This circuitous route took him to a spot where he could look down on the sleepy, snow covered town of Oberndorf below. All was quiet as Mohr looked over at the homes where his parishioners slept. The scene was a far cry from the carnage Mohr had witnessed on the battlefield just a few short years ago. As he looked down at the homes below he remembered his poem and the plea for peacefulness that it employed and immediately felt as though God had answered his prayers, Peace and contentment were possible after all.

After returning to his home, Mohr searched for his poem amid his papers. After finding it, he took it to the home of a man named Franz Gruber, who was a local school teacher but, more importantly, was the church organist. Mohr asked Gruber if he would be able to compose a melody to go with Mohr’s words. This melody would be for piano (which Gruber would play) and for guitar (which Mohr would play). Gruber was able to do so. The pair debuted their song the next evening during a church service that was held in a temporary location. At that service was a man named Karl Mauracher. He was an organ builder who had come to repair the organ in Mohr’s flood-damaged church. He listened to Gruber and Mohr introduce “Silent Night, Holy Night” and was deeply moved by it. He was associated with two other minstrel groups and asked for permission to share the song with those performers. One of those minstrel groups called themselves The Rainers. This group regularly performed the song as they traveled throughout Austria, Germany and the rest of Europe. This helped introduce the carol to many western European people, including members of the royal court of Austria who heard the carol performed at a special concert held in their honour. Eventually The Rainers were invited to perform in New York City thus introducing “Silent Night, Holy Night” to North American audiences, too. 

Back in Oberndorf, Mohr’s church had to be torn down as the flood damage proved too costly to adequately repair. However, a new church was built in its place. It was built a short distance from the ruins of the original church. This new church is affectionately known as The Silent Night Chapel and is one of Oberndorf’s greatest tourist attractions to this day.  The song “Silent Night, Holy Night” has gone on to become one of the most popular carols ever written. It has been officially recorded over 100,000 times so far and that number continues to grow with each passing holiday season. One of the most memorable instances of the song being sung happened during WWI at a moment that has gone on to be called The Christmas Truce. Please take a moment to read about the role this carol played in bringing peace and calm to the bloody Western Front in WWI. *(A short fictionalized post about it was written by my daughter Leah and can be found here). For many, the moment that those WWI soldiers stopped shooting and killing each other and instead, started singing this carol in English and in German and climbed out of their trenches proved the potent power of the song and brought it back full circle to how it was originally conceived on a prior battlefield from a previous war. Peace is always better than War. Love is always more powerful than Hate. What better way to feel this in your heart and in your bones than to put down your screen, put on your warmest coat and driest boots and head outside to gaze at the beauty of the stars and marvel at the wonder that comes from the silence of a cold winter’s night?  It worked two centuries ago for Josef Mohr and I am willing to bet that it will work its magic on you two centuries later if you are willing to give it a try. If so, I would be happy to read all about it in the comments below. In the meantime, I wish you all peace and love and the calm that comes with a beautiful silent night.

The link to the video for the carol “Silent Night, Holy Night” by Josef Mohr and Franz Gruber can be found here. ***The lyrics version can be found here.

The link to the official website for The Silent Night Chapel/Museum can be found here.

The link to a video that shows a dramatization of The Christmas Truce in WWI and how the song “Silent Night, Holy Night” played such an important role can be found here.

The link to the official website for Oberndorf, Austria can be found here.

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