Born 189 years ago on a Christmas eve

by George Eddie

Silent Night, the musical symbol of Christmas. It is sung on every continent in the world in scores of languages from the original German "Ostille Nacht Heilige Nocht" to Welsh, from the Swahili to Afrikaans from Japanese to Russian from Korean, to Chinese expressing the deep feelings of peace and joy. It had been recorded from Bring Crosby to Elvis Presley and still recently by many more popular singers.

The story of this "wonder classes" begins with Joseph Mohr, the illegitimate son of a soldier and a seamstress. He had a talent for music and earned money by singing and playing the violin and the guitar at an early age, in public. Then at school and the university. He lived on money earned as a performer.

His talent and hard work drew the attention of a clergyman who persuaded Joseph to enter the seminary.

In 1815 Joseph Mohr was ordained a priest. He was posted to Orberndorf in 1817. He not only preached but surprised the congregations by strumining a guitar and easily switching from folk music to hymns.

The village of Orberndorf, Austria in 1817 was preparing happily to celebrate Christmas. But within the Church of St. Nicholas all was not well. Father Joseph Mohr, 26 had just discovered that the church organ was beyond repair. He withdrew to his study with this Christmas crises. He realised that the traditional carols would not sound right on a guitar, he decided to produce a new song.

A thought crossed his mind about a parish family he visited to bless the new born child and of a modest birth almost 2,000 years ago.

He began to write tentatively his pen moved as if guided by an invisible hand. A haunting refrain "Stille Nacht, heilige Notcht" appeared on the paper. "Silent Night Holy Night". It spoke of the Christmas miracle in six stanzas. It was as if the words flowed directly from heaven.

For the music he sought the help of his friend Franz Xavier Gruber, 31 a skilled composer.

In the most basic harmonies in the musical repertoire the organist wove a plain evocative melody.

Father Joseph must have explained to the assembled flock that christmas eve, that although the organ was broken the midnight mass would include music.

Mohr sang tenor and played his guitar while Gruber sang bass and the church choir chimed in at the refrain. The parishioners listened in awe to a carol as pure and fresh as an Alpine stream.

Then Father Joseph proceeded with the celebrations of the mass. Christmas eve at St, Nicholas was a success.

Soon Father Joseph was transferred to a different parish. For a few years the carol fell silent as the night it had glorified in 1818.

Luckily for the world Carl Mauracher, master organ builder was commissioned to reconstruct the organ at St. Nicholas Church. He happened to come upon the music sheet, 'Silent Night' and was enchanted by the beauty of the lyrics and the simplicity of the music. He requested Gruber for a copy.

People who heard it through him were also enchanted with the words and melody. Among those who did were the Strasser family. Four sisters and brothers with angelic voices who performed at trade fairs. In 1831 they sang at a fair in Leipzig, Germany. The audiences loved it.

Soon afterwards a local publisher printed it but there was no mention of Father Joseph Mohr or Franz Gruber.

Silent Night crossed the Atlantic with the Rainers, a family of folk singers travelling and performing in the USA. In 1840 they introduced the English speaking world to the song. Some listeners attributed the hymn to the Hoydus.

Gruber and Mohr remained unaware of the stir their song was creating. In 1845 at the age of 55 Father Mohr died of pneumonia, peniless. He never leaned that his song had reached some of earth's farthest corners.

Gruber heard the song's success in 1854 at the age of 67. King William IV of Russia began searching for its source.

Gruber sent a letter to Berlin telling the origins of the song. Memorials pay tribute to Mohr and Gruber in Austria.

Their legacy "Silent Night Holy Night" has become an essential part of Christmas everywhere.