"Silent Night" is a mesmerizing Christmas carol that everyone should to listen during Christmas. It is a very calm and spiritual hymn with heart whelming melodies.
Originally called "Stille Nacht," the first performance of the song was in 1818 by the Austrian priest Joseph Mohr. The process of writing and composing this song was very strange.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8lJWj3R7ng
It was written after the end of the Napoleonic wars. This period witnessed the spread of hunger, crisis, poverty, and despair. Therefore, Mohr wrote this 6-verse poem to give hope and peace to people.
Regarding the music, Mohr was in desperate need of music as his church’s organ was broken. So, he showed his lyrics and brought them to the organist Franz Gruber, who composed a simple melody for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvJ1HlJCd9Y
On Christmas Eve, 1818, the two friends performed “Silent Night” together for the first time in front of Mohr’s congregation, with Mohr playing his guitar.
In 1858, Emily Elliott modified the hymn in English for the first time. Moreover, it was re-modified by John Freeman Young in 1859.
"The melody and harmonization of the carol are actually based on an Italian musical style called the “siciliana” that mimics the sound of water and rolling waves: two large rhythmic beats, split into three parts each," according to Sarah Eyerly, the Assistant Professor of Musicology and Director of the Early Music Program, Florida State University.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8_OhQFmrq0
She expressed that "Silent Night" was designated by UNESCO as a treasured item of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Legendary Lebanese singer Fayroz introduced a touching Arabic adaptation of "Silent Night" and called it "Sawt El Eid" (Christmas Sound).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7puGQYj76k
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