The story of Silent Night
The year was 1818. The place: Oberndorf, near Salzberg, in the Austrian Alps. A young Assistant Pastor, named Josef Mohr, had a moment of inspiration and a problem. His moment of inspiration was brought about by a peaceful evening walk after a Christmas play. The problem was due to some mischievous mice.
The problem Josef Mohr had as Christmas 1818 approached was that the bellows of his church's organ had been eaten away by mice. The lack of a church organ had already caused a traveling band of actors to hold their Christmas play in a private home, instead of in Mohr's church. It was while walking home from this inspiring play on a calm evening that Mohr was struck with the first line of a beautiful poem, "Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!"
Mohr got home that night and finished his simple yet beautiful poem. Wishing that his new poem could be sung in the church, Mohr visited his friend Franz Gruber, who was the church organist. That Christmas, Gruber and Mohr sang their new Christmas carol in the church. Since they still had no organ, Gruber played his guitar as they sang.
"Silent Night" quickly became a favorite Christmas song in Europe due to a popular singing group, the Strasser sisters, who sang the song across Austria and Germany. The song was translated into English in 1863 by Jane Campbell and made its first appearance in America in 1871 in Charles Hutchins’ Sunday School Hymnal.
(Silent Night: Words: Josef Mohr, Music: Franz Gruber)
