SILENT NIGHT from

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1 SILENT NIGHT from "It was the 24th of December of the year 1818, when the then assistant priest Joseph Mohr at the newly established parish of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf, Austria, handed over to the organist represented by Franz Gruber (who at the time was also school teacher in Arnsdorf) a poem, with the request to write a fitting melody for 2 solo voices together with choir and for accompaniment by guitar." These are the words of Franz Xaver Gruber which he wrote on December 30, 1854 in his "Authentic Account of the Origin of the Christmas Carol, 'Silent Night, Holy Night!'" Later the same day, on the 24th of December, Gruber came to the musically talented Mohr and handed over to him his composition. As Mohr liked what he saw, this song was included in the Christmas mass that evening. Mohr sang the tenor part and provided accompaniment with guitar, while Gruber sang bass. According to Gruber, the song was met with "general approval by all" in attendance (mostly shipping laborers, boat builders and their families). On the site of former St.Nicola church now stands the Silent-Night-Memorial Chapel.

2 JOY TO THE WORLD from When declining health forced Isaac Watts to cut back on his preaching, he turned to another task, Christianizing the Psalms. At the age of forty-five, he sat under a favorite tree on the Abney estate-property of the close friends with whom he lived-and penned the now famous words of "Joy to the World." His 1719 hymnal, Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, included the words under his original title for the poetry: "The Messiah's Coming and Kingdom." As part of his effort to bring New Testament meanings to the Old Testament psalms, Watts based "Joy to the World" on the last half of Psalm 98: "Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth,... Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth." (vs. 4, 8). Psalm 98 celebrated God's protection and restoration of his chosen people. Watts' carol rejoices in the same, as it expresses praise for the salvation that began when God became man. Both the psalm and the hymn also look ahead, to Christ coming again to reign: "He will judge the world with righteousness" (v. 9) Despite its lack of reference to Mary, Joseph, shepherds, angels, wise men, or the manger, it became one of the most loved Christmas carols. In a season for celebrating our Savior's birth, Watts' hymn beautifully expresses our joy at the coming of our Savior. The tune to which the hymn is sung is attributed to George Frederick Handel and bears resemblance to phrases of his great oratorio, Messiah. Notably the first four tones match the beginning of the chorus, "Lift Up Your Heads."

3 O Come All Ye Faithful from It was used in Catholic churches before it became known to Protestants. Today it is sung by church groups around the world since it has been translated from its original Latin into more than one hundred other languages. The vivid imagery of the carol seems to have meaning and appeal for all ages in every culture. The original Latin text consisted of four stanzas. The first calls us to visualize anew the infant Jesus in Bethlehem's stable. The second stanza is usually omitted in most hymnals, but it reminds us that the Christ child is very God Himself: God of God and Light of Light begotten, Lo, He abhors not the Virgin's womb; Very God, begotten, not created-o come, let us adore Him. The next stanza pictures for us the exalted song of the angelic choir heard by the lowly shepherds. Then the final verse offers praise and adoration to the Word, our Lord, who was with the Father from the beginning of time. For many years this hymn was known as an anonymous Latin hymn. Recent research, however, has revealed manuscripts that indicate that it was written in 1744 by an English layman named John Wade and set to music by him in much the same style as used today. The hymn first appeared in his collection, Cantus Diversi, published in England in One hundred years later the carol was translated into its present English form by an Anglican minister, Frederick Oakeley, who desired to use it for his congregation. The tune name, "Adeste Fideles," is taken from the first words of the original Latin text, and translated literally means "be present or near, ye faithful."

4 Away in a Manger from According to Christmas Carols.org, the author of "Away in a Manger" remains unknown. It is probably a late-nineteenth-century American carol. The first published appearance is in the 1885 Philadelphia The Little Children's Book for Schools and Families. Richard S. Hill, who was head of the reference section of the Library of Congress, researched the origins of the carol and concluded it was likely a poem read in Lutherian children's celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the birth of Luther in The tune of the song is not universal, indeed over forty different tunes have been placed alongside the lyrics in hymn books. "Away in a Manger" is one of the most popular Christmas carols. A 1996 Gallop Poll revealed that it was the joint second most popular carol in Britain along with "O Come All Ye Faithful.

5 Angels We Have Heard on High from The French carol "Les anges dans nos campagnes," now known as "Angels We Have Heard on High," is completely anonymous. It has always been printed with no known lyricist or composer. The beautiful carol tells the story of Christ's birth, when the angel choir told the good news to nearby shepherds. The chorus, "Gloria in Excelsis Deo," reflects the chorus of the angel choir that long-ago Christmas night. Many years ago shepherds in the hills of southern France had a Christmas Eve custom of calling to one another, singing "Gloria in Excelsis Deo," each from his own hillside. The traditional tune that the shepherds used may have been from a late Medieval Latin chorale. It became the magnificent chorus of "Angels We Have Heard on High." The carol seems to be of eighteenth-century origin, since it was known in England by At that time James Montgomery wrote his carol "Angels From the Realms of Glory", originally basing it on the tune of "Les anges dans nos campagnes." "Angels From the Realms of Glory" was sung to the French tune until Henry Tomas Smart wrote a new tune for it in "Angels We Have Heard on High" was first published in France in The English translation came seven years later, in Henri Frederick's Crown of Jesus Music. This 1862 translation differed from the form we use now. The version we use today was first printed in a 1916 American carol collection entitled Carols Old and Carols New.

6 Hark the Herald Angels Sing from Christmas carols as we know them now were abolished by the English Puritan parliament in 1627 because they were a part of a "worldly festival," which they considered the celebration of Christmas to be. As a result, there was a scarcity of Christmas hymns and carols in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" by Charles Wesley was one of the few written during this period. Wesley's fine text and the melody by master composer Felix Mendelssohn have given this hymn its great popularity and its standing as a classic among Christmas songs. Like many of Charles Wesley's more than sixty-five hundred hymns, this text clearly presents biblical doctrine in poetic language. The first stanza describes the song of the angels outside Bethlehem with an invitation to join them in praise of Christ. The following stanzas present the truths of the virgin birth, Christ's deity, the immortality of the soul, the new birth, and a prayer for the transforming power of Christ in our lives. For more than two hundred years, believers have been enlightened and blessed by the picturesque manner in which Charles Wesley has retold the truths of our Savior's birth.

7 O Little Town of Bethlehem from Today s Liturgy, OCP Publications, This year, on December 24, is the 150 th anniversary of O Little Town of Bethlehem. Phillips Brooks ( ), the lyricist, pastor of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia, and an opponent of slavery, led his congregation through the Civil War only to be totally distraught over the senseless death of Abraham Lincoln. To rediscover and strengthen his faith he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Upon seeing Bethlehem under the stars, he was inspired to write the text for this beloved hymn. His parish organist, Lewis Redner ( ), wrote the music. Redner said the music came to him in his sleep.