Silent Night



The words of the carol 'Silent Night' were written in 1818 by Father Joseph Mohr, who was the assistant pastor of the church of Saint Nicholas in the small town of Oberndorf in the Austrian Tyrol.

Late one afternoon, just before Christmas, Joseph Mohr was called out to bless a new born baby. As he walked home he thought of the child he had just visited and wondered; was it on a night of such peace and stillness that the holy babe was born? When he reached home he put his feelings into words.

A few days later, whilst discussing a forthcoming Christmas service, Father Mohr showed the poem to his friend Franz Gruber, the church choirmaster, and within a hour Franz had composed a simple tune around it. That Christmas Eve the carol was sung in the church and everyone was delighted with it!

After Christmas an organ builder came to repair the church organ and Franz Gruber played the song to the organ builder who was enchanted by it and asked if he could write it down and play it at his church in the nearby town of Zillertal. Soon it was a favourite of the churchgoers there who called it 'The Song from Heaven'.

Gradually the carol made its way to Leipzig where it was eventually heard by the Queen of Saxony who requested that it should be played in the palace on Christmas Eve 1832, so that her children could learn it.

Some twenty years later the King of Prussia, Frederick Wilhelm IV, heard the song performed by the choir of the Imperial Church of Berlin. Immediately he declared that the song was to be sung at all Christmas concerts in his country and that a search should be established to discover the name of the composer.

Soon after, Franz Grubers son heard about the search and recognised his fathers music. After thirty-six years the carol that was loved by millions had come back to those who had written it.