Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht

Representative Text

1 Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht!
Alles schläft, einsam wacht
nur das traute hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh.

2 Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Hirten erst kundgemacht,
durch der Engel Halleluja,
tönt es laut von Fern und nah:
Christ, der Retter, ist da,
Christ, der Retter, ist da!

3 Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht!
Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht
Lieb aus deinem göttlichen Mund,
da uns schlägt die rettende Stund,
Christ, in deiner Geburt,
Christ, in deiner Geburt.

Source: Evangelisches Gesangbuch (Bayern, Mitteldeutschland, Thüringen): Antwort finden in alten und neuen Liedern, in Worten zum Nachdenken und Beten #46

All representative texts • Compare texts • Text size: Regular | Large^ top

Author: Joseph Mohr

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… Go to person page >

^ top

Text Information

First Line: Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, Alles schlaft, einsam wacht
Title: Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht
Author: Joseph Mohr (1818)
Meter: Irregular
Place of Origin: Austria
Language: German
Notes: Czech translation: "Tichá noc, svatá noc"; French translation: See "Voici Noël!, O douce nuit!" by Mélanie Melley-Rochat; English translations: "Quiet night, holy night, all asleep! Save tonight" by Anonymous; See also "Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright" by J. Freeman Young; Polish translations: See "Cicha noc, święta noc", "Cicha noc! W górze skryz" by Jan Kubisz; Slovak translation: "Tichá noc, svätá noc"; Spanish translation: See "Noche de paz, noche de amor" by Federico Fliedner; Swahili translations: See "Usiku, mtakatifu", "Usiku mkuu"; Swedish translation: See "Stilla natt, heliga natt";
Copyright: Public Domain

English

German

^ top

Notes

Hymnary Pro Subscribers
Access an additional article on the Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology:
Hymnary Pro subscribers have full access to the Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Get Hymnary Pro
^ top

Tune

STILLE NACHT

Although he composed nearly one hundred works, Franz Gruber is remembered for only one–the tune of "Silent Night," composed on Christmas Eve, 1818. He scored the tune for tenor and bass soli (sung by Mohr and Gruber on that night) with the final phrase to be repeated in harmony (sung by the villag…

Go to tune page >


All tunes published with 'Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht'^ top

Timeline

^ top

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #13559
  • PDF (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer Score (NWC)
^ top

Instances in all hymnals

Instances (1 - 7 of 7)
TextPage Scan

Catholic Book of Worship III #334

Catholic Book of Worship III #334

Christmas Carols and Songs for Singing #21

Christmas Carols and Songs for Singing #21
TextPage Scan

Community of Christ Sings #421

Community of Christ Sings #421
TextPage Scan

Evangelisches Gesangbuch (Bayern, Mitteldeutschland, Thüringen) #46

Evangelisches Gesangbuch (Bayern, Mitteldeutschland, Thüringen) #46
TextPage Scan

Hymns for a Pilgrim People #136

Hymns for a Pilgrim People #136
TextPage Scan

Singing the Living Tradition #252

Singing the Living Tradition #252
TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #13559

The Cyber Hymnal #13559
Include 93 pre-1979 instances
All instances^ top
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us
It looks like you are using an ad-blocker. Ad revenue helps keep us running. Please consider white-listing Hymnary.org or getting Hymnary Pro to eliminate ads entirely and help support Hymnary.org.