To read the lyrics click on the words German or English.

Silent Night (German: Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht)

In 1818, priest Joseph Franz Mohr (1972-1848) took some verses he had written a couple of years ago to his friend Franz Gruber, a school teacher and choir master, to see if he could set some music for the poem. In a couple of hours, Franz Gruber had finished the melody arrangements for guitar, as the church organ had been damaged in a flood. That same night, 24th December 1818, in Oberndorf, Salzburg, the carol was sung.

Lyrics and score have changed a bit since they were created and this new version is how we know it today.

Austrians consider it a national treasure. In 2011 it was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

Here you have got the sound file: