24 December 1818. HRH George III is still kind of Britain, Ireland and all his realms except the former North American colonies. James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States of America, but was over four years away from announcing his doctrine opposing European colonialism in the Americas. And in Oberndorf-bei-Salzburg, Austria, Father Joseph Mohr led his church choir in singing a new song which he had written especially for Christmas Eve, set to music by the local schoolteacher, Franz Xavier Gruber. It was called "Stille Nacht" (= "Silent Night"), and it sounded like this.
The orioginal manuscript was lost, and over the years Father Mohr's name was forgotten. Although Herr Gruber was known to be the composer, the melody was often mistakenly attributed to Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven. It wasn't until 1995 that a manuscript in Father Mohr's handwriting was discovered and dated by researchers as "c. 1820". It states that the priest wrote the words in 1816 when he was assigned to a pilgrim church in Mariapfarr, Austria, and that the music was composed in 1818. This is the earliest manuscript that exists and the only one in Father Mohr's handwriting.
"Stille Nacht" was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011. It has been translated into many languages, and recorded by a large number of singers in nearly every musical style. The version sung by Bing Crosby is the third best-selling single of all-time.
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