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Simply, Silent Night

by Meg Berry

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Vox: Meg Berry & Brian Gottesman
Guitar: Brian Gottesman
Engineering: Brian Gottesman
Mix by Brian Gottesman with Meg Berry

Photo by Meg Berry

© 2013 Archaeomuse Publishing (BMI)

Silent Night, with two voices and a guitar as the song was originally written for in 1818 (no choir though).

While I was in school, I read that the poem by Joseph Mohr, written in 1816 was a prayer for continued peace on the heels of the Napoleonic Wars. In 1818, the church organ was broken on Christmas Eve so Mohr, according to various sources, asked a friend, Franz Gruber to turn his poem into a piece for the Christmas service for their two voices, a choir and a guitar. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find the source where I originally read about Joseph Mohr's being inspired by the Napoleonic Wars while writing the original poem.

This track contains the first five of the song's six verses, in the original order, as translated from German and posted on this website:
www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/VOLUME02/Silent_Night_History.shtml

Thank you to Bill Egan for his fine history on Stille Nacht (and my apologies for adding a slightly differing account of the song's history; his essay is surely more sound than my hazy grad school recollections).

lyrics

1. Silent night! Holy night!
All's asleep, one sole light,
Just the faithful and holy pair,
Lovely boy-child with curly hair,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Sleep in heavenly peace!

2. Silent night! Holy night!
God's Son laughs, o how bright.
Love from your holy lips shines clear,
As the dawn of salvation draws near,
Jesus, Lord, with your birth!
Jesus, Lord, with your birth!

3. Silent night! Holy night!
Brought the world peace tonight,
From the heavens' golden height
Shows the grace of His holy might
Jesus, as man on this earth!
Jesus, as man on this earth!

4. Silent night! holy night!
Where today all the might
Of His fatherly love us graced
And then Jesus, as brother embraced.
All the peoples on earth!
All the peoples on earth!

5. Silent night! Holy night!
Long we hoped that He might,
As our Lord, free us of wrath,
Since times of our fathers He hath
Promised to spare all mankind!
Promised to spare all mankind!
(And all the peoples on earth, sleep in heavenly peace)

****************************************************
edited from this version is the last verse:

6. Silent night! Holy night!
Sheperds first see the sight.
Told by angelic Alleluja,
Sounding everywhere, both near and far:
"Christ the Savior is here!"
"Christ the Savior is here!"

credits

released November 1, 2015
Produced by Meg Berry
Adapted by Meg Berry

Vox: Meg Berry with Brian Gottesman
Guitar: Brian Gottesman
Engineer: Brian Gottesman
Mix: Brian Gottesman and Meg Berry

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all rights reserved

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Meg Berry South Orange, New Jersey

Meg Berry is a #1 Top 40 singer-songwriter producer nominated for 2 New Music Awards - AC Female Artist & AC Breakthrough Artist. Praised in Billboard to the Boston Globe, Meg's "Happy Holiday Song" debuted at #3 on radio. One year later, Meg celebrated her 2nd #1 song plus several top 5's on AC, Top 40, Country & Holiday. Live, Meg made her solo debut headlining Bar 13 st the CBGB's Music Fest. ... more

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