Joseph Mohr

Joseph Mohr
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Short Name: Joseph Mohr
Full Name: Mohr, Joseph, 1792-1848
Birth Year: 1792
Death Year: 1848

Joseph Mohr was born into a humble family–his mother was a seamstress and his father, an army musketeer. A choirboy in Salzburg Cathedral as a youth, Mohr studied at Salzburg University and was ordained in the Roman Catholic Church in 1815. Mohr was a priest in various churches near Salzburg, including St. Nicholas Church. He spent his later years in Hintersee and Wagrein.

Bert Polman

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Mohr, Joseph, was born at Salzburg, Austria, on Dec. 11, 1792. After being ordained priest on Aug. 21, 1815, by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salzburg, he was successively assistant at Ramsau and at Laufen; then coadjutor at Kuchl, at Golling, at Vigaun, at Adnet, and at Authering; then Vicar-Substitute at Hof and at Hintersee--all in the diocese of Salzburg. In 1828 he was appointed Vicar at Hintersee, and in 1837 at Wagrein, near St. Johann. He died at Wagrein, Dec. 4, 1848. The only hymn by him translated into English is:—
Stille Nacht! heilige Nacht! Christmas. This pretty little carol was written for Christmas, 1818, while Mohr was assistant clergyman at Laufen, on the Salza, near Salzburg, and was set to music (as in the Garland of Songs) by Franz Gruber, then schoolmaster at the neighbouring village of Arnsdorf (b. Nov. 25, 1787, at Hochburg near Linz, died June 7, 1863, as organist at Hallein, near Salzburg). What is apparently the original form is given by 0. Kraus, 1879, p. 608, in 3 stanzas of 6 lines, and in Dr. Wichern's Unsere Lieder, Hamburg, 1844, No. 111. Another form, also in 3 stanzas of 6 lines, is in T. Fliedner's Lieder-Buch für Kleinkinder-Schulen, Kaiserswerth, 1842, No. 115, and the Evangelical Kinder Gesang-Buch, Basel, 1867. The translations are from the text of 1844.
1. Holy night! peaceful night! All is dark. By Miss J. M. Campbell in C. S. Bere's Garland of Songs, 1863, and thence in Hymns & Carols, London, 1871.
2. Silent night! hallowed night. Land and deep. This is No. 131 in the Christian Hymn Book, Cincinnati, 1865. It is suggested by, rather than a translation of the German.
3. Holy night! peaceful night! Through the darkness. This is No. 8 in J. Barnby's Original Tunes to Popular Hymns, Novello, N. D., 1869; repeated in Laudes Domini, N.Y., 1884, No. 340.
4. Silent night! holy night! All is calm. This is in C. L. Hutchins's Sunday School Hymnal, 1871 (1878, p. 198), and the Sunday School Hymn Book of the Gen. Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 1873, No. 65.
5. Peaceful night, all things sleep. This is No. 17, in Carols for St Stephen's Church, Kirkstall, Leeds, 1872.
6. Silent night, holiest night. All asleep. By Dr. A. Edersheim, in the Sunday at Home, Dec. 18, 1875, repeated in the Church Sunday School Hymn Book, 1879, No. 35.
7. Silent night! holy night! Slumber reigns. By W. T. Matson, as No. 132, in Dr. Allon's Children's Worship, 1878.
8. Still the night, holy the night! Sleeps the world. By Stopford A. Brooke, in his Christian Hymns, 1881, No. 55.
Translations not in common use:--

(1) "Stilly night, Holy night, Silent stars," by Miss E. E. S. Elliott, privately printed for the choir of St. Mark's, Brighton, about 1858, but first published in the Church Missionary Juvenile Instructor, 1871, p. 198. Also in her Tune Book for Under the Pillow, 1880. (2) "Holy night! calmly bright," by Mary D. Moultrie in Hymns & Lyrics by Gerard Moultrie, 1867, p. 42. (3) "Silent night, holiest night! Moonbeams," by C. T. Brooks, In his Poems, Boston, U. S., 1885, p. 218.

[Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

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Mohr, Joseph, p. 760, ii. The translation "Stilly night, starry and bright," in Farmer's Glees & Songs for High Schools, 1881, p. 36, is by Archdeacon Farrar.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

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Texts by Joseph Mohr (76)AsAuthority Languagessort descendingInstances
Silent night, Holy night, David's son, Lord of lightJoseph Mohr (1792-1848) (Author)2
Silent night, holy night, see the starJoseph Mohr (Author)3
Holy night, peaceful nightJoseph Mohr (Author)English107
Holy Spirit, hear us, On this sacred dayJoseph Mohr (Author)English25
Silent night! hallowed night! Earth is hushed, heaven alight!Joseph Mohr (Author)English3
Silent night, hallowed night, land and deep silent sleepJoseph Mohr (Author)English4
Silent night, holiest night, all is calm, all is brightJoseph Mohr (Author)English4
Silent night, holy night, All is calm, all is brightJoseph Mohr (Author)English547
Silent night, holy night, All is dark, save the lightJoseph Mohr (Author)English66
Silent night, holy night, all is held in slumber's mightJoseph Mohr (Author)English1
Silent night, holy night, Golden stars shed their lightJoseph Mohr (Author)English2
Silent night, holy night, Nature deep, silence keepsJoseph Mohr (Author)English1
Silent night! holy night! Sleeps the world; hid from sightJoseph Mohr (Author)English3
Silent night! Holy night! Slumber reigns! Naught in sightJoseph Mohr (Author)English4
Silent night, peaceful night! All things sleep, shepherds keepJoseph Mohr (Author)English12
Silent night! Peaceful night! Darkness flies, all is lightJoseph Mohr (Author)English2
Silent night, sacred night, Bethlehem sleeps yet what lightJoseph Mohr (Author)English15
Still the night, holy the nightJoseph Mohr (1792-1848) (Author)English7
Đêm thánh vô cùng Giây, phút tưng bừng (Silent night! Holy night!)Joseph Mohr (Author)English, Vietnamese2
Stille nag heilige nagJoseph Mohr (Author)Afrikaans2
Natë e shenjtë! Natë e qetë!Joseph Mohr (Author)Albanian2
عيد الليل زهر الليلJoseph Mohr (Author)Arabic2
ليلة ليلة يا لها بهجةJoseph Mohr (Author)Arabic1
Լուռ գիշեր սուրբ գիշերJoseph Mohr (Author)Armenian2
Cusisiña suma jayp’uJoseph Mohr (Author)Aymara2
Gau ixilla, gau doneaJosef Mohr (Author)Basque2
Тиха нощ! Свята нощ!Joseph Mohr (Author)Bulgarian2
Pavetaa'evȧ nėhe'xovevaJoseph Mohr (Based on)Cheyenne2
平安夜, 圣善夜Josef Mohr (Author)Chinese2
Hanhepi wakan kin!Joseph Mohr (Author)Dakota1
Glade jul, dejlige julJosef Mohr (Author)Danish2
Stille nacht, Heilige nacht, David's zoon lang verwachtJoseph Mohr (Author)Dutch2
Silent night! Holy night! Heaven is near, earth is brightJoseph Mohr (Author)Englsih2
Püha öö, õnnistud öö!Joseph Mohr (Author)Estonian2
Gleðilig jól! Gleðilig jól!Joseph Mohr (Author)Faroese2
Jouluyö! Juhlayö!Joseph Mohr (Author)Finnish2
Belle nuit, sainte nuitJ. Mohr (Author)French2
Voici Noël!, O douce nuit!Joseph Mohr (Author)French2
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, Alles schlaft, einsam wachtJoseph Mohr (Author)German68
Nuit pèzib, nuit se santJoseph Mohr (Author)Haitian Creole2
Pola'i e, ihiihi eRev. Joseph Mohr (Author)Hawaiian2
Polai e, Pokamaha'oJoseph Mohr (Author)Hawaiian2
לָיְלָה שַׁלֵב, לָיְלָה קָדוֹשׁ (Lailah shalev, lailah kadosh)Joseph Mohr (Author)Hebrew2
खामोश है रात, बखत है रात (Khaamosh hai raat, bakhat hai raat)Joseph Mohr (Author)Hindi2
Csendes az éjJoseph Mohr (Author)Hungarian2
Csendes éj! Tiszta, szent éj!Joseph Mohr (Author)Hungarian2
Heims um ból helg eru jólJoseph Mohr (Author)Icelandic2
Malam kudus, sunyi senyapJosef Mohr (Author)Indonesian2
Astro del ciel, Pargol divinJosef Mohr (Author)Italian2
清し この夜 (Kiyoshi kono yoru)Josef Mohr (Author)Japanese2
고요한 밤 거룩한 밤 어둠에 묻힌 밤 (Goyohan bam geolughan bam eodum-e mudhin bam)Josef Mohr (Author)Korean2
Klusa nakts, svēta nakts!Joseph Mohr (Author)Latvian2
Alina masinaJ. Mohr (Author)Malagasy2
Mihainoa! Mihainoa!J. Mohr (Author)Malagasy1
Glade Jul, heillige JulJoseph Mohr (Author)Norwegian2
Cicha noc, święta nocJoseph Mohr (Author)Polish3
Cicha noc! W górze skryzJoseph Mohr (Author)Polish2
Noite de paz! Noite de amor!Joseph Mohr (Author)Portuguese2
Tudo é paz! Tudo amor!Joseph Mohr (Author)Portuguese3
Тихая ночь, дивная ночь! (Tikhaya noch', divnaya noch')Josef Mohr (Author)Russian3
Tiha noć, sveta noć!Joseph Mohr (Author)Serbo-Croatian2
Noche de luz, noche de pazJoseph Mohr (Author)Spanish2
Noche de paz, noche de amorJoseph Mohr, 1792-1849 (Author)Spanish25
Kwa usiku wa zamani, yote kimya, takatifu.Joseph Mohr (Author)Swahili2
Usiku mtakatifuJoseph Mohr (Author)Swahili2
Zanena, SikukuuJoseph Mohr (Author)Swahili2
Stilla natt, heliga natt, Allt är frid, stjärnan blidJoseph Mohr (Author)Swedish2
Nasantoan a rabiiJoseph Mohr (Author)Tagalog2
Natanaw na sa SilanganJoseph Mohr (Author)Tagalog2
ஓசையில்லா, தூய இரா (Ōcaiyillā, tūya irā)Joseph Mohr (Author)Tamil2
ยามราตรี ศรีหรรษา มีราชามาประสูติ (Yām rātrī ṣ̄rī h̄rrs̄ʹā mī rāchā mā pras̄ūti)Joseph Mohr (Author)Thai2
Sakin gece! Kutsal gece!Joseph Mohr (Author)Turkish2
Đêm tháng vô cùngJosef Mohr (Author)Vietnamese2
Tawel nos dros y byd,Joseph Mohr (Author)Welsh2
Busuku obungeweleJosef Mohr (Author)Xhosa2
Busuku obuhleJoseph Mohr (Author)Zulu2

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