Silent Night

Christmas Carols Explained, #11

In 1818, an Austrian man named Joseph Mohr wrote this perennial favorite, titled “Stille Nacht” in its original tongue. It’s a slow, contemplative piece about the night Christ was born, and I’ve always had a special appreciation for its reverence.

Mohr did the lyrics and Franz Xaver Gruber wrote the melody, making him the second-most impactful Gruber to be associated with the holiday. (Although you’ll have to watch Die Hard to see the other Gruber’s impact.) It was originally meant for an organ at the St. Nicholas church in Oberndorf, but the organ was broken, so the sheet music was simplified and performed on a guitar.

The simplicity and pacing made it easy to spread. Remember: the only way to enjoy music 200 years ago was to do it live. It’s been translated and rearranged in countless ways since then, and one of the more famous instances of its performances was in the trenches of World War I. More recently, Chris Hadfield—a Canadian astronaut—broadcasted himself playing the song on guitar from space for Christmas of 2012. That’s a flex right there.

I picked the Mannheim arrangement because of the wintery sounds in the back end of the song. This song always has a way of taking me to a cold and contemplative place, a reverent place, where I want to think and be grateful for my comforts and security, and knowing where that comes from. It’s a temporal thing, but the spiritual element is the more meaningful part.