Silent Night - Easy Piano Sheet Music (v15) by Franz Xaver Gruber (1818)
Please tell me about the song Silent Night - the 1818 song by Franz Xaver Gruber. share details about its history, back story, and music theory, like its key and time signature, tempo etc...
C G G7 C
Silent night, Holy night, All is calm all is bright
F C F C
Round yon virgin mother and child, Holy infant so tender and mild
G G7 C Am C G C
Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.
C G G7 C
Silent night, Holy night, Shepherds quake at the sight
F C F C
Glories stream from Heaven afar, heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah
G G7 C Am C G C
Christ the Saviour is born, Christ the Saviour is born.
C G G7 C
Silent night, Holy night, Son of God love's pure light
F C F C
Radiant beams from thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace
G G7 C Am C G C
Jesus Lord at thy birth, Jesus Lord at thy birth.
Silent night, Holy night,
All is calm all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child,
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace,
sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, Holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from Heaven afar,
heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah
Christ the Saviour is born,
Christ the Saviour is born.
Silent night, Holy night,
Son of God love's pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus Lord at thy birth,
Jesus Lord at thy birth.
Please tell me about the song Silent Night - the 1818 song by Franz Xaver Gruber. share details about its history, back story, and music theory, like its key and time signature, tempo etc...
That's a great choice! "Silent Night" ("Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht") is one of the world's most beloved and enduring Christmas carols.
Here are the details about the 1818 song by Franz Xaver Gruber and Joseph Mohr.
Lyrics: The poem, originally six verses in German, was written in 1816 by a young Catholic priest named Joseph Mohr while he was an assistant priest in Mariapfarr, Austria.
Music: The melody was composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber, a school teacher and church organist in the nearby village of Arnsdorf.
Premiere: The song premiered on Christmas Eve, 1818, at the St. Nikolaus Church in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria.
The widely accepted story is that on Christmas Eve, Mohr realized the church organ was broken or in disrepair (possibly due to river flooding or rust, though the famous "mice eating the bellows" is likely a legend).
Because they needed music for the Midnight Mass, Mohr brought his two-year-old poem to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody that could be sung by two solo voices and choir, with accompaniment by a guitar—an instrument easily available but unusual for a church service at the time.
Gruber composed the music that same day, and they performed it that night. Mohr sang the tenor part and played the guitar, while Gruber sang the bass part.
The song might have been forgotten, but an organ builder and repairman named Karl Mauracher visited the Oberndorf church sometime after and was so taken with the music that he took the composition home to the Zillertal valley.
From there, two famous families of traveling folk singers, the Strassers and the Rainers, picked up the tune and performed it throughout Europe.
The Rainer family brought the carol to the United States, performing it in New York City in 1839.
For many years, the original manuscript was lost, and the simple, beautiful melody was often incorrectly attributed to more famous Austrian composers like Haydn or Mozart. In 1854, Gruber wrote an "Authentic Account" confirming the song's origin. An early manuscript in Mohr's hand, discovered in 1995, definitively names Gruber as the composer of the melody.
The carol's gentle, lullaby-like simplicity is key to its enduring success.
Element
Gruber's Original 1818 Version
Modern Commonly Sung Version
Tempo
Moderato (Moderate speed)
Lento or Adagio (Slow, meditative)
Time Signature
6/8 (Compound Duple—giving a lilting, siciliana-like rhythm)
3/4 (Simple Triple—a standard waltz or hymn feel)
Key
Often performed and recorded in G Major or D Major
Varies, often B-flat Major or G Major for vocalists
Style
Originally written as a pastorale or lullaby.
Time Signature: The original 6/8 time signature gave the carol a gentle, rocking rhythm, similar to a traditional Italian siciliana or pastorale often associated with Christmas. The modern 3/4 time is easier to sing as a slow, straightforward hymn, which is how it evolved over time as it was passed down and printed.
Melody: The modern melody is slightly different from Gruber's original, particularly in the final strain of the verse, but retains the core of his simple composition.
"Silent Night" was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2011.
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace