Participants:
Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ003129S
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00:49 The year was 1914. War had broken out mid-year
00:56 in the summer. Here the Germans on one side and the English 01:02 and French on the other. We're trying to out-flank 01:05 each other, get around each other's front line. 01:08 The result was known as the race to the Sea. 01:12 In its wake, a double line zig- zagged across the countryside. 01:18 They stretched for hundreds kilometers from the North Sea 01:23 all the way to the Swiss border. The trenches were punctuated 01:31 with machine-gun nests and fortified with barbed wiring 01:35 entanglements. The Germans particularly had anticipated 01:39 a quick victory but winter was approaching and both sides 01:44 were digging themselves in for a long battle. 01:57 Conditions at Christmas time 1914 were quite difficult, 02:02 it was very cold, most of the soldiers didn't have proper 02:07 equipment to be out in open air day and night 02:12 through the winter. It was very wet, duck boards, A-frames, 02:18 that could prevent you from getting wet feet were 02:21 non-existent, most of the time it was just a ditch 02:24 dug into the field, making conditions very very 02:28 very difficult indeed. 02:30 Then came Christmas Eve, it was a cold, wet winter, 02:40 Germans shivered in the trenches dreaming of Christmas goose 02:44 stuffed with apples and prunes and Stollen, 02:48 delicious fruit bread. Opposite the English talked of turkey 02:53 with cranberry sauce, Christmas Pudding flaming with Brandy. 02:57 Gifts had been sent to soldiers on both sides to keep their 03:02 spirits up, but they longed for home. 03:09 German soldiers somehow managed to slip a chocolate cake 03:14 into the English trenches along with a message asking for 03:17 a cease fire, they wanted to celebrate Christmas. 03:21 The British sent some tobacco back and agreed to the time. 03:25 At 7:30 German heads popped up from the trenches, 03:34 they started to sing. 03:50 Both side applauded at the end of every Carol. 04:05 They lit candles, placing them on tops of their trenches and 04:10 set up Christmas trees. 04:17 A few brave soldiers struck out across no-mans-land 04:21 aware that at any moment that a trigger happy sniper 04:24 could bring instant death, but they took the risk anyway. 04:28 They met their enemies, exchanged small gifts, 04:31 tobacco, food, hats, and buttons. 04:33 We have a letter in the museum of two soldiers, two brothers 04:38 in the London Rifle Brigades who actually are describing 04:42 a truce that has lasted into the new year. 04:45 and at some point they had exchanged a big tin of jam 04:50 for a pickle hub, for a German spike helmet and the Germans 04:56 said, you ought to give me back the helmet but don't worry 05:00 I'm going to give it back to you but tomorrow I have a parade 05:03 and I need my helmet. 05:04 In a number of places along the front line 05:07 no-man's-land became a play- ground. Someone produced a 05:11 football and the English and Germans kicked to each other 05:14 it is said, on this field even thought it wasn't anything 05:17 formal. One soldier being a bother set up shop 05:21 in no-man's-land and cut the hair of his men for free. 05:25 A German juggler put on a show, the Christmas truce was a 05:30 welcome relief. 05:52 One of the few Christmas Carols the British and German troops 05:56 had in common was Silent Night, Stille Nacht in German. 06:01 They sang it across the trenches at each other in their 06:05 respective languages. There was power in that simple 06:09 melody and the words, whether in English or German 06:12 spoke a message of comfort and hope, strangely out of place 06:17 and yet strangely welcome on this Flander's Field. 06:20 But where did this popular little Christmas Carol come from? 06:24 And how was it known to both the Germans and British? 06:50 Ludwick Van Beethoven wasn't an Austrian, he was a German 06:55 yet he spent much of his adult life working here in Vienna 06:59 the Austrian capital. 07:05 He only died in 1827 a short time before Stille Nacht 07:10 became popular. 07:16 His pieces such as The Moonlight Sonata and Ode to Joy 07:22 had a similarly simple melody, so for some, the answer 07:26 was obvious, it was Beethoven who wrote the tune to 07:30 Stille Nacht, others of course disagreed. 07:39 But the folk singers who popularized the song 07:42 came from here, the beautiful Zilla Valley in the 07:46 Austrian Alps. A long way from the sophistication on Verna 07:50 and Beethoven's pen. So it made more sense that the 07:53 author of the song was Austria's favorite musical genius 07:57 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 08:15 Mozart was from Salzburg, one of the most beautiful 08:18 and charming cities in Europe, a city of soaring spires 08:22 and majestic castles, and romantic gardens. 08:33 It was in this inspiring city that the creativity of Mozart 08:38 flourished. There was no denying his skill as a musician. 08:44 He is considered by many to be the greatest musical genius 08:48 in western history. 08:50 He died in 1791 about 40 or so years before the search began 08:58 for the composer of Stille Nacht. 09:37 Mozart composed over 600 musical works, could one of them been 09:43 Stille Nacht? So perhaps it wasn't Beethoven who composed 09:48 the tune to Stille Nacht but rather Mozart. 09:50 After all, Mozart lived in Salzburg and was Austrian 09:55 born and bred. 10:08 So about 1853, the song was widely sung and played 10:12 yet its origin remained a mystery. 10:15 King Frederick Wilhelm the 4th of Prussia who had long enjoyed 10:19 Stille Nacht noticed that the composer was unknown and wanted 10:23 the mystery solved so he commissioned his 10:26 concertmaster to find the composer 10:29 A year later this letter turned up in Berlin, penned by the son 10:34 of a school teacher and choir master Frantz Gruber. 10:38 It was December 24th, the year 1818 that the assistant 10:47 pastor Joseph Mohr of the newly established parish 10:51 was St. Nicholas, handed over a poem to organist Frantz Gruber 10:57 who at that time was a school teacher at Arnsdorf. 11:01 He wanted the organist to write a pleasant little melody. 11:07 He was born here the 26 of November, 1787, in the village 11:13 of Hochburg, upper Austria. 11:15 Although his house no longer stands, this replica gives us 11:23 a good idea of what it would have been like. 11:25 His parents Joseph and Anna were poor linen weavers, 11:30 by rights, Frantz should have learned his father's trade 11:35 and taken over the family business. 11:37 However Gruber's school teacher Andreas Peter Lichna 11:43 recognized his musical talent and convinced his father 11:46 to allow young Frantz to attend a teacher training college 11:51 where he trained to be a teacher and a musician. 11:53 He became a proficient musician and mastered the organ, violin, 11:58 and guitar. Frantz soon became the efficient organist 12:04 here in the Hochburg Village Church. 12:10 When Frantz Gruber was 20 years old, he was offered his first 12:14 position as a teacher. The nearby town of Arnsdorf 12:18 about 20 kilometers from Salzburg, the teacher at 12:22 Arnsdorf had recently died leaving a school without a 12:26 schoolmaster, a church without an organist, and a widow 12:29 without a husband. Gruber rose to the occasion and even married 12:34 the widow Elizabeth Durenberger. 12:36 They lived here in an apartment above the schoolhouse, 12:40 he and Elizabeth had two children but both died young. 12:44 It was very well integrated in this very small village here, 12:50 just a few farmers, it was not so easy for him because he was 12:54 was still a foreigner at that time because he was from 12:57 Hochburg-Ach belonging to Austria and Sasha was still in 13:01 independent principality. 13:03 So he needed some additional exams...to get this job here. 13:08 Gruber taught at the local school here for 21 years. 13:12 He was a dedicated teacher and his school was reportedly 13:17 the best in the district. 13:29 Nine years after he started teaching a new church parish 13:32 was established at Obendorf just a few kilometers away. 13:39 Gruber took on the job of organist in the hope that that 13:42 would employ him as a full-time teacher and church musician. 13:45 It was here that he met Joseph Mohr who had been moved to 13:50 Obendorf as the young assistant priest. This is the street where 13:54 Joseph Mohr grew up in a small damp room beside the 13:58 river in Saltzburg with his mother, grandmother, 14:02 and two half-sisters. 14:09 Joseph Mohr's childhood in Saltzburg was marred by poverty 14:13 and life could have gone very badly for him. 14:15 He sang in the choir and played violin at Saltzburg Cathedral 14:19 and it was here that his musical talents were first noticed 14:22 by the priest and choirmaster who took Joseph under his wing 14:26 and helped him to receive a full education. 14:29 Joseph was an outstanding student and he was proficient 14:32 on the organ, violin, and guitar by the age of 12. 14:38 At the age of 19, Joseph wanted to study for the priesthood 14:43 but because he was an illegitimate child, 14:45 he had to get special permission from the Pope. 14:55 He got permission and a few years later he began serving 14:58 as a priest. It was young Joseph Mohr who first penned the words 15:04 to Stille Nacht, Silent Night. 15:13 It was here in the Maria Parish in Lungau in 1816 that the 15:18 24-year-old assistant priest Joseph Mohr wrote the words 15:23 to the Christmas Carol that would become popular throughout 15:26 the world. It was his desire for peace after the loss 15:34 of life and political upheaval caused by the Napoleonic wars 15:38 which he expressed in the poem. 15:44 It is thought that this painting of Mary holding the baby Jesus 15:48 in her lap might have inspired Joseph Mohr's Christmas Poem. 15:52 On Christmas Eve he came to Gruber and asked if he could 15:58 come up with a simple melody as an accompaniment to his poem 16:02 Stille Nacht. Joseph Mohr wanted a melody that would be 16:08 relevant to everyone including the poor people in his parish. 16:13 He identified with their suffering and poverty 16:16 and wanted the words and music to be meaningful to them. 16:19 He asked Gruber to compose the melody for the guitar 16:23 because it was the common instrument of the people. 17:15 The melody of Stille Nacht, Silent Night was composed in 17:18 St. Nicholas Church in Obendorf. 17:25 Carl Mauracher master organ builder and repairman came from 17:29 the Zilla Valley to work on the Obendorf organ 17:32 over the next few years, so the story goes, he took a copy 17:37 of the song back to the Zilla Valley with him. 17:39 From there it fell into the hands of singing groups 17:42 and soon was being sung by families such as the Rainers 17:46 and Strauss's. Joseph Mohr was easily identified as the 17:51 writer of the words but by the time the song's tune was 17:55 contested, he'd passed away. Joseph Mohr, the people's 17:59 priest died penniless. 18:04 His biggest impact was made here in the town of Wagrain. 18:08 he founded a new school for children, created a fund 18:11 to allow students from poor families to be educated 18:14 and set up a system to give the age, room, and board at 18:18 local farmhouses. The school here in Wagrain is dedicated 18:24 to the memory of Joseph Mohr. 18:31 The mystery surrounding the origin of the carol may have 18:35 remained unsolved if not for a manuscript that was discovered 18:38 just a few years ago. It was discovered in 1995 by 18:43 Renate Ebeling Winkler and it contained exciting new 18:47 information. In 1995, I used to work in the Library of Salzburg 18:54 Museum and this library was very famous and is now 18:59 because it has many famous music and manuscripts, 19:04 for instance Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from his father 19:07 Leopold Mozart, Johan Johansen as well and a lot of other 19:12 famous composers. A friend of mine, she came one day into the 19:17 library and I had a lot of manuscripts on the table 19:21 and one manuscript from Silent Night Holy Night from the 19:27 composer Frantz Schubert and she said to me, Oh, I have a 19:34 manuscript by ...Attone, maybe it's not so, please I take it to 19:38 you next day. And next day she came again to the library 19:44 and I discovered it's a treasure we have found, it was the only 19:52 manuscript from the handwriting of Joseph Mohr. On the bottom 19:58 of the manuscript, he signed his name Joseph Mohr 20:02 who at...which means wrote it by himself in 1816. 20:10 On the hand of Joseph Mohr we know that he was the writer 20:15 of the text and Frantz Xaver Gruber the composer of 20:20 the melody of Silent Night Holy Night. 20:24 Finally over 170 years after the carol was first performed 20:29 in Obendorf the mystery was solved. It wasn't composed 20:33 by a famous musician like Beethoven, Mozart, or Haydn, 20:37 it was penned by a local school teacher, a piece that he said 20:41 a simple composition. 21:02 At 8:30 I fired three shots in the air, put up a flag with 21:06 Merry Christmas on it and I climbed up on the parapet. 21:09 He, the Germans put up a sheet with "Thank you" on it 21:13 and a German Captain appeared on the parapet, we both bowed and 21:18 saluted and got down into our respective trenches. 21:21 He fired two shots in the air and the war was on again. 21:25 How sad it is that our human selfishness, jealousy, 21:31 and desire to make a mark bring such pain, yet what a 21:36 promise of hope this story brings. Here the battle ceased. 21:40 The violence, the hatred, and the killing stopped, 21:43 soldiers on both sides were united by the simple yet profound 21:47 message of the Christmas Carol. They'd been given a glimpse 21:51 of the difference that message can make. 21:55 The music written by a young priest, inspired by the power 22:01 of an infant savior and just a simple tune by a country 22:06 school teacher. But there was power in that simple melody 22:09 and the words, whether in English or German, 22:12 or any of the 300 languages it's been translated to 22:16 convey both comfort and hope. 22:19 The need for this message is even greater today 22:22 than when it was first performed. 22:24 Perhaps the carol's message of hope is something you would 22:28 like to experience in your life this Christmas Season. 22:32 Round young virgin, mother and child, holy infant so tender 22:49 and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace. 24:07 Silent Night, Holy Night, Son of God loves pure light 24:26 radiant beams from thy holy face with the dawn of redeeming 24:43 grace, Jesus Lord at thy birth, Jesus Lord at thy birth. 25:03 Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright, round yon 25:26 virgin mother and child, holy infant so tender and mild 25:42 sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly... 26:07 sleep in heavenly peace... 26:11 If you would like to find out more about Jesus, 26:15 the man who changed the world, and who can also change your 26:18 life, then I would like to recommend the free gift we have 26:22 for all our Incredible Journey viewers today. 26:26 It's the booklet The Best Gift of all. 26:30 This booklet is absolutely free. 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Call or text us now. 27:24 If you've enjoyed our journey to find out the birthplace 27:30 of the famous Christmas Carol Silent Night and our reflections 27:34 on the impact Jesus has made on the world and people's lives 27:39 then, be sure to join us again next week when we will share 27:43 another of life's journeys together. 27:45 Until then, let's pray for God's continued blessing. 27:50 Dear heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of 27:54 Jesus, whose birth has changed the world and our lives. 27:59 May the joy, hope, and happiness associated with His birth 28:04 find a special place in our hearts. 28:07 We pray for your blessing on each one of us and our families, 28:10 in Jesus name we pray. Amen!. |
Revised 2021-03-10