Clarksville, TN – “Silent Night” is one of the best loved Christmas carols of all time”. In my humble opinion, somehow the simple words convey the mystery and simplicity of the real Christmas story better than any other hymn.
The original carol was entitled, Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht; it was written in German at the request of an Austrian priest, Father Josef Mohr.
According to www.silentnight.web.za, “on December 24th, 1818, Joseph Mohr journeyed to the home of musician-schoolteacher Franz Gruber who lived in nearby Arnsdorf. He showed his friend the poem he had written four years before and asked him to add a melody and guitar accompaniment so that it could be sung at Midnight Mass.”