Silent Night

This beautiful devotional Catholic Christmas hymn was written by Father Joseph Mohr, a Catholic priest of the parish of St. Nicholas, in the small village of Oberndorf, Austria, for Mid-night Mass, December 24, 1818. The inspiration for the lyrics of this hymn is shrouded in several charming stories that have been passed down over the years. One such story places Father Mohr on an emergency call late one night to take the last rites to a dying member of his parish who lived high up beyond the village limits.

On the way home from his sad mission, he looked down upon the candle lights beaming from the windows in the homes nestled in the village and then turned his gaze upward to the starry heavens gleaming above the mountains. The wind, which normally is restless in its shifting among the mountain tops, was quite still. Soon his thoughts took him to the coming Advent, and a sacred vision entered his mind that the Christ Child must have been born in Bethlehem on such a night. He saw the shepherds watching their flocks by night and the angel’s song Gloria in Excelsis echoing above the valley floor. Being extremely late at night, he hurried home and to his study and with a feathered quill sat at his desk to write the message of Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht.

In the early morning hours, he set out with his manuscript in hand to show it to the old church organist Franz Gruber. Upon reading the words and in what must have been a divinely inspired moment, a melody flooded his mind, and he began to softly sing the words to his wife and Father Mohr. Over time the hymn became known to all the people in the village and by 1831 was sung by the Strasser sisters at the Leipzig Fair. From there its popularity continued to grow. What a charming story indeed!

Translations

In my research, I discovered that there have been at least 7 different translations. In 1858, the hymn was translated into English by a hymn writer under her pseudonym E. S. Elliot or Emily Elizabeth Steele Elliot (1836-1897), and privately printed for St. Mark’s Church, Brighton. This translation, Stilly Night, Holy Night! Silent stars shed their light appeared in only a few European publications. The hymn was popularized in the United States by the Renner family of singers touring America in 1827. The first printed edition in the United States was around 1840 but was not widely distributed. A second translation was done by Episcopal priest John Freeman Young (1820-1885). His translation appeared in his Carols for Christmas, 1859. This translation has become the common text for the hymn today, Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright, and is sometimes referred to as the Protestant version. To learn more about the various translations of this Christmas hymn visit The Hymns and Carols for Christmas website.

Hymnals

The hymns first appearance in Catholic hymnals was in the LAUDIS CORONA, 1880 and a translation, Silent Night, sacred night, Bethlehem sleeps, yet what light, by an unknown author is considered the Catholic version. (click on any image to enlarge)

Next appearance:

Sunday School Hymn Book, 1887, 1905 & 1935 – Sisters of Notre Dame (SND)
Holy Family Hymn Book, 1904 – Francis Buttler
The New Catholic Hymn Book, 1906 – Louis Berge
The Crown Hymnal, 1912 – Father Kavanagh & James McLaughlin
De La Salle Hymnal, 1913 – Brothers of the Christian Schools
Manual of Catholic Hymns, 1916 – Father B. Dieringer & Father Jos. J. Pierron
Father Finn’s Carol Book, 1917 – Father Finn conductor of Paulist Choristers
Holy Cross Church Hymnal, 1919 – text only, Bp. John J. Cantwell, Los Angelus
Catholic Hymnal, 1920 – Father John G. Hacker, S.J., Canisius College, N.Y.
Hymns Used by the Pupils of the Sisters of Notre Dame, 1920, 1948, & 1951 – text only
The St. Gregory Hymnal, 1920 & 1940 – The St. Gregory Guild, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
The American Catholic Hymnal, 1921 – The Marist Brothers of N.Y. (not in the 1913 ed.)
The Standard Catholic Hymnal, 1921 – McLaughlin & Reilly Co., Boston, MA.
Mary’s Hymnal, 1924, 1944-1950 – Catholic Book Publishing Co., N.Y.
Young People’s Catholic Hymn Book, 1924 – McLaughlin & Reilly Co., Louis Berge
Basil’s Hymnal, 1925, 1935 & 1953 – The Basilian Fathers – 31^st ed. is first appearance
Sursum Corda, 1925 – Sisters of St. Francis, Stella Niagara, N. Y.
The Catholic School Hymnal, 1930 – J. P. Donnelly, Emil Ascher Inc., New York
Selected Hymns, 1930 – Sisters of St. Joseph, Boston – text only
Joseph’s Hymnal, 1930 – Sisters of St. Joseph, Nazareth, Michigan (3^rd and 6^th ed.)
A Daily Hymn Book, 1930 – Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., London
The Gloria Hymnal, 1933 – The Basilian Press, Detroit, Michigan
Easy Hymnal Notation, 1934 – Saint Anthony Guild Press, New Jersey – text only
Manual of Hymns for Parochial Schools, 1935 – The Public Press, Philadelphia – text only
The Ave Maria Hymnal, 1936 – Fr. Joseph J. Pierron, The Bruce Publishing Co., Milwaukee
The Saint Rose Hymnal, 1940 – Sisters of St. Francis, La Crosse, Wisconsin
Laudate Choir Manual, 1942 – Fr. Joseph Hohe; Ed. by Fr. Koch, Ph. D., & Fr. Green, O.S.B.
Prayers and Hymns for Children, 1943 – Propagation of the Faith Press, Boston – text only
The Saint Andrew Hymnal, 1945 – McLaughlin & Reilly Co., Boston, MA.
Sing to the Lord, 1946 – McLaughlin & Reilly Co., Boston, MA.
Manual of Hymns for Catholic Schools, 1948 – The Voshardt Press, New Jersey – text only
Parochial Hymnal, 1936, 1951 – J. Fischer & Bro., New York
The Westminster Hymnal, 1939, 1952 – Ronald Knox & Bp. David Mathew
The Pius X Hymnal, 1953 – McLaughlin & Reilly Co., Boston, MA.
Alverno Hymnal Book 1, 1954 – McLaughlin & Reilly Co., Boston, MA.
Parish Hymnal, 1954 – Saint Francis Church Cleveland, Ohio – text only
The St. Cecilia Hymnal, 1955 – Frederick Pustet Co., Inc.,
Mediator Dei Hymnal, 1955 – Gregorian Institute of America (Cyr De Brant)
The People’s Hymnal, 1955 – World Library of Sacred Music, Cincinnati, Ohio
The New Saint Basil Hymnal, 1958 – Ralph Jusko Publications, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio
The Catholic Chapel Hymnal, 1944 thru 1968 – McLaughlin & Reilly Co., Boston, MA.
Cantate Omnes, 1958 – Cantate Omnes Publications, Buffalo, NY.
The BVM Hymnal, 1961 – Gregorian Institute of America, Toledo, Ohio

Because there are so many hymnals with variations on the text of Silent Night, I decided to group the hymnals based on the verses.

Hymnals with – Silent Night, Sacred Night, Bethlehem sleeps, yet what light (LAUDIS CORONA)
Hymnals with – Silent Night, Holy Night, Bethlehem sleeps, yet what light (ST. GREGORY)
Hymnals with – Silent Night, plus variations on the text (Various hymnals)

I thought this approach would offer a better understanding of the hymn text as it appeared during the late 19th to the mid-20^th century period. Even with this approach this article is quite lengthy.

My research is limited to my personal collection of 158 Catholic hymnals dating from 1840 thru 1974, and the Caecilia Magazine Archives which begins in 1926 thru the 1960s as well as The Catholic Choirmaster Archives which begin in 1915 thru 1930.

I also have some modern hymnals like Adoremus, Gather, Glory & Praise, Ignatius Pew Missal and few Protestant hymnals including:

Junior Hymns & Songs, 1927 – Bethany Edition, Presbyterian Committee of Publication.
The Excelsior Hymnal, 1919 – Tullar & Merideth Co., New York City
Songs and Service Book for Ships & Field, 1927 – Army & Navy ed.
The Hymnal 1940 Companion, 1949 -1951 – Protestant Episcopal Church, New York

I did not include these modern hymnals because the text of Silent Night is the common text we know today.

Text Review of Catholic Hymn Books

The text of the hymn found in the LAUDIS CORONA above appeared in several Catholic hymn books until the mid-1940s.

Sunday School Hymn Book, 1887, 1905 & 1935
Holy Family Hymn Book, 1904
The Crown Hymnal, 1912
De La Salle Hymnal, 1913
Manual of Catholic Hymns, 1916
Holy Cross Church Hymnal, 1919
Hymns used by the Pupils of the SND, 1920, 1948-1951*
The American Catholic Hymnal, 1921**
The Standard Catholic Hymnal, 1921
The Catholic School Hymnal, 1930
Selected Hymns, 1930
A Daily Hymn Book, 1930
The Ave Maria Hymnal, 1936
The Saint Rose Hymnal, 1945
The Saint Andrew Hymnal, 1945

* Hymns used by the Pupils of the Sisters of Notre Dame modified the text Floats around the holy pair to Floats around the holy place otherwise the text is the same. This modification only appears in this hymn book.

** The hymn did not appear in the 1913 edition.

The text found in the ST. GREGORY HYMNAL AND CHOIR BOOK published in 1920 and 1940 was compiled by Nicola Montani. It was used by the following hymn books listed below. This is likely a result of the influence by the Society of St. Gregory America. This musical committee was founded by Nicola Montani in 1918 and was responsible for sweeping changes by severely criticizing existing and widely used Catholic hymn books like the St. Basil’s Hymnal, by the creation of a Black List of disapproved music and a White List of approved music.

St. Basil’s Hymnal, 1925 – 1953
St. Joseph’s Hymnal, 1930
The Gloria Hymnal, 1933
Manual of Hymns for Parochial Schools, 1935
Prayers and Hymns for Children, 1943
Manual of Hymns for Catholic Schools, 1948
The Parochial Hymnal, 1936 & 1951
The St. Cecilia Hymnal, 1955

Note: The only difference in the text from Laudis Corona of 1880 and the St. Gregory hymnals is the substitution of holy night vs sacred night, otherwise the text is the same.

The first hymnal to have text different from the LAUDIS CORONA was found in THE NEW CATHOLIC HYMN BOOK, published in 1906 as well as the YOUNG PEOPLE’S CATHOLIC HYMN BOOK published in 1909. The hymn books were compiled by Louis Berge (1840-1914). (click on any image to enlarge)

Louis Arthur Berge (1840-1914) was born in Darmstadt, Germany and came to the United States around 1850 where he took up residence in New York. He became one of the first published organists and composer of the country.

By 1860, his musical compositions included marches, waltzes, and polka’s. In 1866, Louis Berge & Company was established at 97 Bleecker Street in New York where he manufactured Grand, Square and Upright piano-fortes. He sold new and second-hand pianos & organs as well as an assortment of other musical instruments including guitars, violins, flutes, and banjos for rent or hire.

Around 1896, The Berge Music Company was established and in 1904, Louis published his first Catholic hymn book: BERGE’S BOOK OF GEMS for the use of Catholic Schools and Choirs. With the success of his first hymn book and at the request of many of the religious entrusted with the education of Sunday School and Parish Schools, Louis published THE NEW CATHOLIC HYMN BOOK, 1906;

In 1909, he published the YOUNG PEOPLE’S CATHOLIC HYMN BOOK which received several letters of attribution from the clergy including Archbishop Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore and New York Archbishop John M. Farley, D.D., who granted the Imprimatur, The hymn books featured compositions by both Louis Berge and his son William E. Berge, as well as other composers. In 1911, Louis Berge published the ROSARY, a selection of Sacred Songs consisting chiefly of his own compositions. Louis Berge died on March 31, 1914, in New York and is buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Manhattan.

In 1924, McLaughlin and Reilly Music Company acquired the rights to the hymn books and republished them. The McLaughlin and Reilly Music Company of Boston was one of the most successful music publishers of the 20th century.

The next variation on the text appears in FATHER FINN’S CAROL BOOK published in 1917.

Father Williman J Finn, C.S.P. (1881-1961), was best known as the Conductor of the Paulist Choristers, a famous Catholic group of singers who performed weekly on national radio both in Chicago (1904-1918), and New York (1918-1940s). Catholic radio programs were extremely popular before the age of television and included an audience of tens of millions of Americans every week. One interesting fact about Father Finn is that he is the nephew of Sister Paulina Finn who was also a prolific hymn writer who’s pen name was M.S. Pine.

Father Finn was born in Boston, Mass., on September 7^th, 1881. He was a pupil of Boston Latin School, graduated St. Charles’ College, Ellicott City, Maryland in 1900. He was ordained a priest in the Paulist Community in 1906, from St. Thomas’ College, Catholic University of America. He studied music at New England Conservatory of Music. He specialized in Ecclesiastical Music in London, Paris and Boston.

In the late 1930s, Father Finn began to lose his hearing and suffered a stroke in 1940. It was necessary for him to retire from choral work. He spent three years at Old Saint Mary’s parish in Chicago during the early 1940s. He returned to New York where he remained for the rest of his life.

He was severely burned in a fire while residing at his apartment in Yonkers with his niece. Her quick actions in smothering the flames saved his life initially, but his injuries proved fatal. He died on March 20, 1961, at the age of 79. Father Finn spent 54 years as a Paulist priest.

For more information about Father Finn and the Paulist Choristers, you can read a wonderful article devoted to Father Finn and the Paulist Choristers at the Caecilia Archives August 1934 Volume 60 edition of the Caecilia Magazine.

Variations of the hymn text continued to appear throughout the 1920s.

The Catholic Hymnal, 1920 compiled by Father John. G. Hacker, S.J.
The St. Mary’s Hymnal, 1924, 1944-1950) compiled by Christian A. Zittel
Sursum Corda, 1925 compiled by the Sisters of St. Francis, Stella Niagara, N.Y.

Father Hacker was born in Buffalo, N. Y., on August 21, 1877, he received his early education at St. Louis’ Parochial School, Canisius High School and Canisius College in that city. He entered the Society of Jesus on August 21, 1895, at the age of 18 in what was known as the Buffalo Mission of the German Province of that order. He completed is preliminary training in the order and in 1906 was sent to Valkenburg, Holland, for his course in theology.

After spending a year in his studies in Valkenburg, Father Hacker made an extensive tour through France and Spain and returned to the United States where he completed his theological training at Woodstock College in Maryland. While he was there, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1909, by Cardinal Gibbons. He served two years as a teacher at Canisius High School in Buffalo.

He took his final vows in the Society of Jesus on February 2, 1914, at Canisius College in Buffalo where he taught Latin, Greek, English and German for the next eight years. In 1921, he was transferred to the Jesuit House of Retreats at South Norwalk, Connecticut, where he completed the revision of his organ score to the Catholic Hymnal. He was Professor of Latin and Greek and assistant librarian at Boston College from 1923 to 1926.

From there he was assigned to Loyola College in Baltimore where he served as Professor of German and Prefect of Music until the time of his death. Father Hacker died on September 11, 1946, after a short illness. Not only was Father Hacker a linguist and classicist of note, but he was also the author of numerous musical compositions. (from the Loyola Notre Dame Library Necrology Report)

The St. Mary’s Hymnal published in 1924 and compiled by Christian A. Zittel, is probably one of the best German-American collections published in America for its day. Christian Zitell was the organist for more than fifty years at St. Mary’s, Toledo, Ohio and a very talented pupil of John Singenberger (1848-1924). The hymnal is divided into two sections, first are the devotional hymns and then second, the Ecclesiastical hymns for a total of 234 hymns.

The hymnal serves as an anthology of traditional German-American hymnody with numerous melodies from German gesangbuchs of the late nineteenth century including the Cologne, Trier, and St. Gall gesangbuchs. About a dozen of the melodies are from collections by Joseph Mohr and other English sources such as the Roman Hymnal.

The Sursum Corda was published in 1925 and was compiled by the Sisters of St. Francis of Stella Niagara, New York for the use of Catholic Schools. The organ accompaniment was provided by Father Florian Zettel, O.F.M., (1879-1947) from the Church of the Ascension Portland, Oregon. There is only one verse.

The organ book for Sursum Corda was prepared at the request of the Ven. Mother Gerard Zimmermann, Provincial Superior at Stella Niagara, N. Y., and was intended to meet the requirements of the new edition of the prayer book Sursum Corda. From the Introductory Remarks of the organ edition there is evidence that a previous edition existed and that the 1925 revision was not made with the idea of discarding all the music of the former Sursum Corda but retaining whatever was considered suitable in the old and adding or supplanting wherever a change was found desirable.

During the late 1940s, the ALVERNO HYMNAL AND CHOIR BOOK compiled and edited by Sister Mary Cherubim Schafer, O.S.F., was a high-point in the German-American tradition. It was originally printed in 1948 and enlarged in 1954. It was published by McLaughlin & Reilly Music., Co., The text of the hymn was a variant of the Laudis Corona text, substituting Holiest Night for Sacred Night and other edits. (click on any image to enlarge)

The ALVERNO HYMNAL appeared in three books.

1948 ALVERNO HYMNAL BOOK 1 – Advent, Christmas, Holy Name, Epiphany, Holy Family
1950 ALVERNO HYMNAL BOOK 2 – Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, The Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi, Christ the King, and All Saints.
1953 ALVERNO HYMNAL BOOK 3 – Hymns for Low Mass, to Our Lord, the Holy Eucharist, the Sacred Heart, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Guardian Angles, Holy Souls and SS Joseph, Francis of Assisi, Patrick, Anthony and Cecilia.

Sister Cherubim’s musical accomplishments are extensive. She was the organist at St Lawrence Church, Milwaukee and director of music at St Joseph Convent. She established the St Joseph Convent Conservatory of Music, and later St Joseph Convent College of Music, published and edited the Liturgical Choir Book, the Organist’s Companion. She composed fort-five mass settings, hymns, motets and numerous works for the organ. She was a regular contributor to the Caecilia Magazine in the late 1930s.

Reflection

The usage of Silent Night in Catholic Christmas concerts or in Christmas programs appeared as early as 1915. In some parish Christmas programs the hymn was being used as the Processional and in other parishes, it was being Introduced. This programing continued into the 1930s. Below are a couple of examples.

By 1935, hymns such as Lo How a Rose and Bring a torch Jeanett Isabella, were gradually being replaced with Adeste Fideles and Silent Night, which had become a standard favorite in Christmas Carol programs.

From my review of the Caecilia Magazines, I learned of a Latin version of Silent Night – Silet Nox with Latin words arranged by DOM Gregory Hugle, O.S.B., which appeared in the July-August 1932 issue, Vol. 59 No. 7., but after an extensive search through the archives I could not find this arrangement. This arrangement was sold by McLaughlin and Reilly Music Company of Boston.

A question by a concerned reader about Catholic text appeared in the March-April 1948 issue of the magazine in a question Is there such a thing as Catholic text. (click on the image below)

I transcribed the question from the March-April edition of the Caecilia Magazine and present it here in case it is not legible to some.

Q. Is there such a thing as a “Catholic” text for the annually sung hymn Silent Night, as distinct from a “Protestant” text? I find that some of our Catholic hymnals, like the St. Gregory Hymnal, use a set of words different from the common “All is calm, all is bright.” Why the difference?

A. The beautiful Christmas song, Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht, was composed in 1818 at Oberndorf, near Salzburg, Austria. Young Father Josef Mohr, vicar of the tiny Church of St. Nicholas wrote the poem, and its musical setting was the work of a friend, the schoolmaster-organist, Franz Gruber. It was heard by the villagers for the first time on Christmas of that year to the accompaniment of a guitar, for the organ had broken down.

I have not been able to ascertain who wrote the commonly-accepted English translation. But his was a worthy work, holding close to the Volkslied simplicity of the original German. The version found in the St. Gregory Hymnal appears also in the American Catholic Hymnal compiled by the Marist Brothers. No mention is made of the translator. This rendering is more coherent, perhaps, than the other, but it is also freer, less true to the German of Father Mohr. I see no reason against adopting either version; both are translations of a good Catholic song. (I might add that the German, too, there is to be found a version more labored and artificial than the naive work of the priest; some people, it seems, do not sense the beauty inherent in the modest original, a beauty so akin to the childlike spirit of the medieval carol.)

Answered by Fr. Francis A. Brunner, C.Ss.R. (translator of the 1949 History of the Catholic Church)

The modern or common text of Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright that we sing today began to appear in Catholic hymnals as early as 1944. This is evidenced by The CATHOLIC CHAPEL HYMNAL. In 1943, McLaughin & Reilly Music Co., sent out a questionnaire to Catholic Chaplains of the Armed Forces during WWII. In response, 118 Catholic Chaplains furnished the title of hymns best known to service men and women as indicated by spontaneous congregational participation during chapel services.

During the 1950s, vernacular hymns were being introduced into the Low Mass and by the 1960s, the liturgy was also changing from Latin to English. This period saw the removal of over 90% of devotional hymns from Catholic hymnals. It also fostered an ecumenical movement and hymns from Protestant sources soon became the standard in the new repertoire, according to J. Vincent Higginson (Cyr De Brant), author of Handbook for American Catholic Hymnals. The Catholic Chapel Hymnal was published by McLaughlin & Reilly from 1944 thru 1968.

Also, with permission from Peter Meggison, producer of The Devotional Hymns Project, a recording of this beautiful Catholic hymn by The Ensemble Altera Singers who sang a number of selections including Silent Night to the Catholic text that originally appeared in the LAUDIS CORONA. The recording was performed at the Blessed Sacrament Church in Providence, Rhode Island.

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Silent Night

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