It’s hard to believe that “Silent Night” is now 206-years old!  While the weary world has changed quite a bit in that time, this Christmas carol remains an eternal classic, and I imagine it will remain that way for another 206 years—and more.

“Silent Night” did make it onto the Christmas Concert program this year, with my Middle School Music Ensemble giving a traditional rendition, followed by a rocked-up version in 4/4 time (just like last year).  It’s hard for me not to program it, as it is one of the most iconic Christmas carols ever penned.

I’ve also played it quite a bit recently, notably at church, but also at a little Christmas show my buddy John and I hosted, our annual “Yulestravaganza.”  The only attendees were the barista, Dr. Girlfriend, and a lonely fellow who sauntered in halfway through the show and drank his coffee in solitude on the far opposite end of the coffee shop.  Regardless, Dr. Girlfriend, John, and I had a rollicking good time.  There is some footage out there from a Facebook livestream that I’ll need to hunt down and figure out how to share here (here are the first and second sets), but we had fun.  I also finished eating a burrito while John sang “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”—live on stage!

Finally, I did a performance at Tuesday night’s open mic night—my first one in months!—with the wife of a former colleague singing beautiful harmonies.  Sadly, I did not capture it on video—d’oh!—but if I can hunt down footage, I’ll share it here.  It was a good, un-rehearsed performance, but at one point we both slipped into harmonies—ha!

Needless to say, I love this little carol.

With that, here is 21 December 2023’s “TBT^2: ‘Silent Night’ Turns 200“:

On Tuesday’s edition of Open Mic Adventures I shared my impromptu rendition of “Silent Night“; as such, I figured I’d throwback to this classic post about the timeless Christmas classic for this installment of TBT.

I’ve always loved the sweet, peaceful simplicity of this carol.  It also lends itself to multiple interpretations.  My Middle School Music Ensemble students have done it in 4/4 in a punk rock style.  One year, my High School Music Ensemble played it as a bluesy, Christmas-Eve-at-a-roadside-honkey-tonk jam in 6/8 (but, as I recall, only in practice—that might have been too bold for the sensibilities of my administration).

But the song is best presented as it was 205 years ago:  sung by a small choir on a cold Christmas night.

With that, here is 12 December 2019’s “TBT: ‘Silent Night’ Turns 200“:

The Christmas season—and a pending Christmas concert—has seen me waxing melodic on the holiday’s wonderful music.  As such, today’s TBT is predictable (if anyone were interested in predicting such a thing):  it’s a look back at a short post about the 200th anniversary of the classic carol “Silent Night.”

Like “Joy to the World,” “Silent Night” is one of my favorite carols.  It’s sweet and simple, but can also be rocked up (the 6/8 time signature and three-chord structure lend the tune to bluesy interpretations, and I’ll occasionally slide in some blue notes when playing the song instrumentally).

It looks like it won’t make it into our Christmas program this year—a rarity—but I’ll be sure to make room for it next year.  Its more operatic cousin, “O Holy Night,” will be our finale, though.  I’ve always linked the two tunes mentally because of their similar names and themes (and they’re both in 6/8).  “O Holy Night” really lends itself to a hard rock interpretation, as my annual “O Holy (To)Night” cover version attests.

Without further adieu, here is Christmas 2019’s “‘Silent Night’ turns 200” (now closing in on 201):

One of my favorite Christmas carols, “Silent Night,” turns 200 this Christmas season.

The carol was originally written as a poem in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars by a village priest, Joseph Mohr, in the village of Oberndorf, Austria, in 1816. Two years later, Mohr approached the town’s choirmaster and organist, Franz Xaver Gruber, to set the poem to music. Gruber agreed, and the carol enjoyed its first performance to a small congregation, which universally enjoyed its simple sweetness.

Since then, the humble hymn has spread far and wide, and is probably the most recognizable Christmas carol globally today. It’s been covered (likely) thousands of times; it’s certainly become a staple of my various Christmas performances.

This simple, sweet, powerful carol beautifully tells the story of Christ’s birth, as well as the import of that transformative moment in history, that point at which God became Flesh, and sent His Son to live among us.

As much as I enjoy classic hard rock and heavy metal, nothing can beat the tenderness of “Silent Night”—except the operatic majesty of “O, Holy Night,” objectively the best Christmas song ever written.

Merry Christmas, and thank God for sending us His Son, Jesus Christ.