The popular Christmas carol Silent Night was first composed and performed on Christmas Eve, 1818, in the small Austrian town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg.
The lyrics were written by a young priest, Joseph Mohr, who had penned the poem two years earlier. When the church organ broke down just before the Christmas service, Mohr asked the local schoolteacher and organist, Franz Xaver Gruber, to set the poem to music for guitar accompaniment. That night, the two men performed Stille Nacht (as it was originally titled) for the first time during Midnight Mass at St. Nicholas Church (top image).
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The carol began to spread beyond Austria soon after, thanks in part to travelling folk singers who performed it across Europe. It’s believed that Silent Night was first translated into English in 1858 by Emily Elizabeth Elliott, though other early English versions also appeared around that time, helping it gain popularity in the English-speaking world.
By 1914, the song had become so widely known that it played an extraordinary role during the First World War. During the Christmas Truce of that year, German and British soldiers in the trenches reportedly began singing Stille Nacht and Silent Night across the front lines. Recognising the shared melody, both sides joined in—briefly setting aside the horrors of war for a moment of peace and humanity.
Since then, Silent Night has become one of the most recorded songs in history. It was famously performed by Bing Crosby in 1935, and his rendition remains one of the best-selling singles of all time. The carol has since been embraced by artists across every genre, solidifying its place as a universal symbol of hope, peace, and Christmas spirit.
Silent Night lyrics
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.
2 Silent night, holy night,
Darkness flies, all is light;
Shepherds hear the angels sing,
"Alleluia! hail the King!
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born."
3 Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.
4 Silent night, holy night,
Wondrous star, lend the light;
With the angels let us sing
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Saviour is born,
Christ the Saviour is born.
