The message of timeless peace
„Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht”
There is a famous song in the world with an unbroken charm for 200 years, filling people’s heart and soul with love and warmth and awakening new hopes in them. Silent Night is sang all around the world and has been a UNESCO World Heritage since 2011. It may sound strange, but the music of Silent Night – which is considered to be one of the most classical Christmas carols – was written in one single night. It was first sung in 1818, in the town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg in the Austrian province of Salzburg, and it has been promoting the message of Christmas, strengthening humanity’s faith in peace ever since. Silent Night has been translated to more than 330 languages and dialects, thus when midnight comes, the song can be heard and sang in different languages all over the world.
The story of the song dates back to 1816, when an Austrian priest, Josef Mohr wrote the poem and gave it a title equivalent to its very first line. However, it was only two years later, in 1818, that a melody was composed to the song. At the last moment on 24 December 1818, Josef Mohr knocked on Franz Xaver Gruber’s the schoolmaster, sacristy and the organist of the nearby village, Arnsdorf asking him to compose a melody for his poem. Mohr wanted to make Christmas Eve nicer for his followers, who at that time had little or no reason to be happy because of them were starving and extremely poor due to the Napoleonic wars. This region became part of Austria 1815, as earlier it belonged to the autonomous archbishop of Salzburg. The shortness of time was even more challenging as the church organ did not work, so the request was for guitar accompaniment which at that time was not used for conveying elegant music genres. Not to mention that the song was intended to be performed in the St. Nicholas Church in Austria, where no other instruments had been played than organ before. According to the legend, the organ of the church was chewed by mice, thus it became unusable right at Christmas time. Gruber completed his task already that very same evening, so the song could already be heard at the Christmas Mass in the Church of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf. The guitar accompaniment and the tenor were provided by Reverend Mohr, and the bass was sung by Gruber to the believers in the church, who were mostly the sailors of River Salzach and their family members. Karl Mauracher, a Tyrolean organ builder was asked to service the instrument. He was enamored with the Christmas song and took the composition home with himself to Zillertal in Tirol. In 1833, Mauracher worked in Leipzig and performed the piece in the local church as well. A band touring all over Europe added the song to their repertoire and Silent Night was also performed many times during the American tournament of a Tyrolean band, including in New York, in 1839.
Over the centuries, the song overcame borders and crises and since it was first played in 1818, in the town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg in the Austrian province of Salzburg, it has been promoting the message of Christmas and strengthening humanity’s faith in peace.
Silent Night has been performed by almost every singer who made Christmas albums, from The Punk Band of The Dickies to Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley, the Celtic Enya to Susan Boyle and Christina Aguilera. It is interesting that while under the Christmas tree, anyone can sing it freely, Silent Night in Austria – in principle at least – can only be sang and played in events and commercials after royalty has been paid for it.
Austrian settlements that are closely related to the story of the song, welcome visitors with events, special exhibitions and guided tours related to Silent Night. Silent Night Chapel was built right at the place where the church used to stand and was intentionally designed to be modest. The chapel is open all year round from 8.30 am to 6.00 pm. Besides that, one of the most beautiful places to visit is Mariapfarr, where Joshep Mohr lived and worked. In the Parish, Pilgrimage and Silent Night Museum in Mariapfarr, there is a wonderful collection introducing the songwriter’s life and work, as well as the worldwide conquest of the song. The museum is open for visitors on Mondays and Thursdays from 4 pm to 6 pm.
The Silent Night Museum, is located in the Arnsdorf primary school, where Gruber used to work for 21 years. The building is the oldest working school in Austria today. Besides the history of the song “Silent Night”, the exhibition presents Gruber’s teaching career and the everyday school life back then. At Christmas time, a walk on the Gruber-Mohr route from Arnsdorf to Gmunden and Oberndorf is a wonderful experience. The road with its snow-covered winter landscape is illuminated by torches. Every year there is a memorial service in Oberndorf on 24 December, which is a popular meeting place for those who want a little silence and intimacy.
Further information:
