Holiday reading

Did I mention that my PC is at the repair shop? I don't think so. Well, I'm typing this in a net cafe a few blocks away from home. Baking non-stop (well, almost) plus a PC that has conked out on me since early this month have made going online nearly impossible. But I'd like to do what I still can to bring out the meaning in this season for anyone who may be reading my blog, so I figured I'd just post a few entries from December last year, from my other blog. Hope they somehow help you to really savor the richness of Christmas and to contemplate the baby in the manger.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stille nacht, heilige nacht

One of my favorite movies about Christmas is the one that has been shown on the Hallmark channel several times. It tells of the story about a mother, her little son and a bleak Christmas in their little cabin in Germany during World War 2. It's called "Silent Night" and none of the cast except Linda Hamilton are familiar to me, but the movie remains unforgettable.

Silent Night, however, is better known as a traditional Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song Stille Nacht were written in German by Josef Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz X. Gruber. The version of the melody that is generally sung today differs slightly (particularly in the final strain) from Gruber's original.

It is believed that the carol has been translated into over 300 languages around the world, and it is one of the most popular carols of all time. It is often sung without musical accompaniment. It is given special significance in the Lutheran Church.

The carol was first performed in the Nicola-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberndorf, Austria on December 25, 1818. Mohr had composed the words much earlier, in 1816, but on Christmas Eve brought them to Gruber and asked him to compose a guitar accompaniment for them. The reason for this is unclear — perhaps Mohr simply wanted a new carol for the Midnight Mass, but tradition has it that the organ at the Nicola-Kirche was not working that night (a popular version of the story claims that mice had eaten out the bellows).

If you'd like to read the rest, it's at Wikipedia


Full post at Live and Let Them Live