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Silent Night - A Song for Peace

190年前的一個平安夜, "平安夜, 聖善夜" 這首大家都耳熟能詳的聖誕樂曲在德國一個小鎮的教堂子夜彌撒中作首次演出.  當晚因教堂中的管風琴壞了, 所以首演是以反傳統的結他伴奏, 及由它的作曲及作詞者一起詠唱這首優美的樂曲.....





Silent Night - A Song for Peace

190 years ago, this world-famous Christmas song was given its first performance in Oberndorf near Salzburg.

"Silent Night!" came into being during a very difficult period of our history. The Napoleonic Wars were barely over and the Congress of Vienna had essentially created a new order for Europe.  As a result of these events, Salzburg, which had previously been the seat of an autonomous Prince Archbishop, lost its independence and was secularized. Part of Salzburg went to Bavaria, while the greater portion became integrated into Austria.

The barge industry, bargemen, ship builders and, consequently, the whole community, were now looking at a very uncertain future.

It was in this phase that Mohr came to Oberndorf, remaining from 1817 until 1819.
The town where he had previously served, Mariapfarr (1816-1817), had suffered considerably because of the withdrawal of Bavarian occupying troops. It is circumstances such as these which give the text of the fourth verse such particular significance. It expresses a great longing for peace.

Silent Night - Facts
1816
Living in Mariapfarr in the Lungau region of Salzburg, Joseph Mohr pens the text of "Silent Night!" in the form of a poem.

1818
Franz Xaver Gruber composes the song's melody before Christmas in the Arnsdorf schoolhouse (now part of Lamprechtshausen).

1818 
Franz Xaver Gruber and Joseph Mohr give "Silent Night! Holy Night!" its world premiere - played on a guitar - on Christmas Eve at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf-bei-Salzburgohr.
 


Silent Night - First Performance
First Performance - Oberndorf (near Salzburg), 1818
"It was on December 24th, 1818, when the then assistant priest of the newly constructed St. Nicholas Parish Church in Oberndorf, Mr. Josef Mohr, handed a poem over to Franz Gruber, who was currently serving as organist and simultaneously a school teacher in Arnsdorf, with a request to write a fitting melody for 2 solo voices and choir with guitar accompaniment." - thus wrote Franz Xaver Gruber in what was to represent an authentic account of the creation of the Christmas song, "Silent Night! Holy Night!".

Gruber handed his musical composition back to Mohr that same day. Mohr, himself with quite an ear for music, took a liking to the song, so it was agreed that the song would be performed as part of the upcoming Midnight Mass. 

Under normal circumstances, it would never have been acceptable for a German song to be played with guitar accompaniment in church.  However, just before Christmas, the church organ broke down.    It was impossible to hold the Christmas celebrations in the traditional way. The priest had no choice but to accept Mohr and Gruber`s offer of an alternative mass.  So it was that on Christmas Eve 1818 Joseph was able to perform "Silent Night, Holy Night" publicly for the first time.  Mohr sang tenor and played the guitar accompaniment, while Gruber sang bass.


 





Text: Joseph Mohr, 1816
Melody (Composition): Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818
1. Silent night! Holy night!
All's asleep, one sole light,
Just the faithful and holy pair,
Lovely boy-child with curly hair,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Sleep in heavenly peace! 

2. Silent night! Holy night!
God's Son laughs, o how bright.
Love from your holy lips shines clear,
As the dawn of salvation draws near,
Jesus, Lord, with your birth!
Jesus, Lord, with your birth!

3. Silent night! Holy night!
Brought the world peace tonight,
From the heavens' golden height
Shows the grace of His holy might
Jesus, as man on this earth!
Jesus, as man on this earth!

4. Silent night! holy night!
Where today all the might
Of His fatherly love us graced
And then Jesus, as brother embraced.
All the peoples on earth!
All the peoples on earth!

5. Silent night! Holy night!
Long we hoped that He might,
As our Lord, free us of wrath, Since times of our fathers He hath
Promised to spare all mankind!
Promised to spare all mankind!

6. Silent night! Holy night!
Sheperds first see the sight.
Told by angelic Alleluja,
Sounding everywhere, both near and far:
"Christ the Savior is here!"
"Christ the Savior is here!!

(Source: http://www.salzburgerland.com/eng/tid_silent-night-chapel-heritage-museum-in-oberndorf_12267x76095x76085/direktlink.html)