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Thursday 21 December 2017

Blog Caroling - Silent Night


Blog Caroling is the challenge posed by    Footnote Maven aka LindaRae Palmer  who invites us to write a blog  post on our favourite Christmas carol. Post a note to the comments on  her  article or link it on Facebook directing us to your Blog.

LindaRae will create a listing of all our favourites. (Please list Your Name, Blog Name, Favorite Carol and the link to your post in her comment box or on Facebook.)
 


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Josef, Joseph, Maria, Donkey
My all-time favourite carol is "Silent Night"  sung  in a simple unadorned arrangement, with a  guitar  or harp accompaniment.  It  has  a beautiful harmony and is very moving sung softly, especially in its original German, which brings back fond memories of holidays  in Bavaria and Austria.


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

Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht
Alles sclaft. einsam wacht
Nur das traute heilige Paar
Holden Knabe in lockigten Haar
Schlafe in himmlische Ruh
Schlafe in himmlische Ruh

It was 24th December 1818 in a small Austrian village  of  Oberndorf, near Salzburg, just hours before Christmas mass, when  pastor Joseph Mohr's musical plans for the evening service were in ruins,  since the organ of his church (St. Nicholas Kirche) had broken down.   In a moment of inspiration, he found a Christmas poem he had written two years earlier and  asked   his friend Franz Gruber, the church organist, to set it to music for the choir and congregation to sing. 

Franz Gruber's composed  that night  the first version of the world renowned Christmas carol “Stille Nacht”, sung to a guitar. 

 


Sing along with this lovely German version,  by the Vienna Boys Choir HERE at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG-62zBnKkQ


Rheinebene At Full Moon 
Photograph  courtesy of Pixabay



MERRY CHRISTMAS!


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1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing the history of "Silent Night," Sue. I love the lyrics of this carol but (probably because I can't sing those high notes), not so much the tune. I hope you had a Merry Christmas.

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