25 Days of Christmas Carol Stories--Day 1 "Silent Night"

I have always loved Christmas, and everything that goes along with it. The decorations, the twinkle lights, family getting together, presents, music, and most of all celebrating the birth of Christ. I am that crazy person that will break on Christmas music and say I was celebrating  "Christmas in July."  I love the sacred carols that tell about Christ's birth. and the fun holiday songs. The next few blog posts will be about the stories behind some of the most beloved Christmas carols. At then end of the posts I will try and have the lyrics, or a video of the song. Merry Christmas!

"Silent Night" Stille Nacht

Josheph Mohr was born to a single mother in 1792. His mother provided as best she could for her boy. She knew that a good education would help him. The local parish priest saw that he was a smart and had musical talent so he was sent  to study at the famous abbey school in Kremsmunster. He did very well in school, and at age 16 entered seminary, and then at 22 was ordained as a priest. Since Mohr had no father, he was assigned as an assistant pastor of St.Nicholas church in Oberndorf (about 10 miles northwest of Salzburg). There he became friends with Franz Gruber, a son of a weaver. Franz was expected to follow his father as a weaver, but instead he loved music and began playing the guitar and organ. Franz attended music school and soon settled with his family in Oberndorf. 

It is told that on December 23, 1818, Mohr went to go visit a mother and her newborn child. On the way back home, he stopped by a river and meditated on what it was like the night Christ was born. He then penned the words to "Silent Night." 

Upon return to the parish he was told that mice had eaten through the bellows of the organ, and that it could not be fixed before the Christmas Eve mass service. The people feared that midnight mass would be silent. Mohr rushed to Gruber's home, and gave him the words to his poem and asked him to write a melody that could be played on a guitar. Gruber composed the music to "Silent Night" and for the first time in 1818 the song Silent Night was sung. 
**Information from http://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-are-the-origins-of-the-beautiful-christmas-carol-silent-night/