Mice in Church Organ
Responsible for Simple
Tune of Beloved Song
Mice in a church organ may ap
r*ar to be queer circumstances
upon which to place the origin of
one of our most popular Christ
mas hymns—a hymn that has
been carried all over the world
and is now sung in many differ
ent languages.
The birthplace of “Silent Night,
Holy Night” was high up in the
Austrian Alps in the little village
of Oberndorf, Austria. Here on
Christmas eve in 1818 a young
Austrian priest, Joseph Mohr, sat
in his church study. Outside, the
hushed stillness of the night
heightened the snow-clad beauty
of the mountain scene. Inside, his
heart was filled with a vision of
the peace and joy of the first
Christmas tidings “For unto you
is born this day ... a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord”. The
thoughts formed themselves into
the poem which we now sing. Of
coui'se, he wrote them down in
German:
Stille Nacht. Heilige Nacht!
Alles schlaft, einsam wacht
Nur das traute, heilige Paar,
folder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf “in himmlischer Huh!”
The next morning, Christmas
Day, Wohr showed the manu
script to his friend, Franz Gruber,
the village schoolmaster and
church organist. Gruber was in
tensely interested in his friend’s
verses, and was immediately en
thusiastic about writing a per
fect melody for those beautiful
words.
But mice had nibbled the bel
lows of the organ! It would be
impossible to repair it much be
fore^ the evening service. Both
men were anxious to use the new
composition that evening. So
Gruber set about composing the
accompaniment on the only other
musical instrument available, a
guitar. Naturally, the accompani
ment was simplicity itself, and
the tune was arranged for two
voices. Had the organ been avail
able he, no doubt, would have
embellished the melody with all
the ornaments that were in vogue
at that time. But the very sim
plicity lent charm, dignity, and
serenity to the verses written by
th& young priest.
mat same evening wnen me
villagers gathered, Mohr and
Gruber sang the hymn. Its first
audience was deeply touched, and
their eyes were filled with tears
The story of how this hymn
spread from its mountain home
to all parts of the world is also
interesting. It came into fame
very slowly. After this first ap
pearance in 1318 it lay in Gruber’s
desk for nearly a year. It hap
pened that when the man who
was repairing the organ had fin
ished he asked Gruber to play
something to test the organ. He
played the melody to “Silent
Night, Holy Night". The organ
builder liked it and asked to take
a copy of the song with him to
his home across the mountains.
In that village were four Strasser
sisters who sang a great deal.
This hymn became the favorite
of the Strasser Quartette. Later
they carried the hymn to Leipzig.
Germany, when the girls sang
there.
And so the new song was
parsed on from one to another
known simply as “The Tyrolese
Song” because it had come from
the Tyrolean Alps. It v.as not
printed until twenty-five years
after that Christmas Day on
which it was composed.
Then it spread rapidly through
out the German nation. It was
soon translated into other lan
guages. It is said that only a few
years later a missionary heard it
at the foot of the Himalayas; he
heard the tune in New Zealand;
his native boatman sang it on the
Zambesi; and he heard it again
in Ecuador. Its charm has been
unspoiled by the years; its mes
sage “Christ, the Saviour is born”
still brings calm and peace to our
hearts.—H.L.S.
Lutheran Christmas
Services Announced
Communion services will be
held Sunday afternoon, December
24, at St. John’s Lutheran church,
the Rev. Joseph Frenz announced
this week. The services will be
held at 2:30 p. m., the Reverend i
Frenz said. “John, the Forerun-1
ner” will be the subject of the
message to be given.
On Monday, Christmas Day, the
Children’s services will be held
at the church at 2:30 p.m. “Christ
■Is Born Unto Us” will be the
subject of the message at that
service. All adults and children
are cordially invited to attend
the Christmas program, the Rev
erend Frenz said.
NEW SHOE RFPAIR
SHOP OPENED HERE
Palmerites will welcome the
news that a new shoe repair shop
has now been opened here. The
shoe repair shop was opened this
week by Louis Loberg at his store.
All types of general shoe repair
ing work is now being offered to
the public at his shop, Mr. Loberg
said in making the announcement.
RETURNS FROM TRIP
C. A. Moore, economist of the
Agricultural Research Adminis- I
tration returned last Friday eve
ning from a business trip at Fair
banks. Mr. Moore was making a
farm survey and taking farm ac
count records.
VALLEY FRONTIERSMAN
Entered as second class matter on Oct. 21, 1947, at the post office at
Palmer, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
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Opal Lu Smith .Editor
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