The sound of silence
ON Christmas Eve 200 years ago, Silent Night was sung for the first time in the Church of St Nikola in Oberndorf, near Salzburg in Austria. It was originally a poem written in 1816 by Fr Joseph Mohr, who requested that Franz Xaver Gruber, the church organist and choirmaster, compose the melody. Gruber and Mohr both sang, accompanied by the latter on the guitar (the church organ wasn’t working because mice had nibbled the bellows, as spurious legend has it). The carol was ‘met with general approval’ by a congregation that included local boat builders and shipping labourers, according to Gruber’s memoir.
Stille Nacht swiftly travelled through Europe, via two families of Tyrolean folk singers. The Strassers sang the carol, which they called Song from Heaven, to boost sales as they sold their handmade gloves at Christmas markets; they also brought it to the ears of the King of Saxony and Kaiser Wilhelm IV. The Rainers performed it for Tsar Alexander I, Franz I of Austria, Napoleon III and Queen Victoria, before travelling to New York.
For decades, the carol’s origin was unknown and, at times, it was attributed to Haydn, Mozart and even God. Today, it’s sung in more than 300 different languages, has been recorded by Bing Crosby, Jimi Hendrix and countless choirs and features on UNESCO’S World Heritage List in recognition of its role in fostering cultural diversity.