Music is an inseparable part of Christmas. We can’t imagine the season without music to help us celebrate. Here on Christmas Eve, we look at two examples of enduring music which made their debuts on this date, December 24: “Silent Night” and “Amahl and the Night Visitors.”

“Silent Night” was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 in St. Nicholas Church at Oberndorf, Austria. The song was a contribution from a young priest, Father Joseph Mohr, who wrote the text, and church organist Franz Gruber, who wrote the music. At the first performance, Mohr accompanied himself and the congregation on a guitar.

Many stories have circulated regarding the exact circumstances of that first performance. 

Some claim the church organ was damaged, thus leaving no accompaniment other than the guitar.  But there is no early record of such a problem. Use of Mohr’s guitar was probably just a matter of preference.  Mohr had written the poem in 1816, two years before he gave it to Gruber, who wrote the music on Christmas Eve 1818.

More recently, in 1951 the Christmas opera, “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” had its television debut on NBC. Written by Italian composer Gian Carlo Menotti, it was the first opera to be broadcast over television. 

“Amahl” is the Christmas story seen through the eyes of a child. In the short opera, Amahl is a crippled peasant boy who lives with his mother. The night visitors of the title are the Three Kings of Christmas tradition who seek rest from their travel as they follow the star and search for a newborn king. Tension between the host family and the visitors develops as Amahl’s mother makes an unsuccessful attempt to steel the gold which is intended for the Christ Child. The story climaxes with Amahl’s miraculous healing as he and his mother become convinced that the baby the Kings seek is the Son of God. The newly-healed Amahl joins the Kings in their journey.

The story of the broken-down organ apparently is as mythical as the story of Amahl, but both have become part of Christmas lore.

A Verse for Today

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God” (Colossians 3:16).

Each day through New Year’s Day, January 1, 2013, inspirational thoughts will appear, in keeping with Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  These are from my book, Reflections for the Festive Seasons.  © 2002.  All rights reserved.