Hymnology: the study or composition of hymns – Silent Night

The second in a series by Audree. Thank you!

In a recent poll, ―Silent Night, written in 1818 by Franz Gruber was one of the top 3 be-loved Christmas songs. We live in a ―throw away so-ciety but not all things are thrown away. We take them out and recycle them in a special season. So, we can con-clude that some things are not thrown away. Silent Night was born out of necessity. What celebration of the birth of Christ on Christ-mas Eve would be possible without music? Should the traditional Happy Birthday be sung or is it a very special birthday, worthy of special music? A non-functioning organ gave the impetus to Franz Gruber to compose what he considered a simple song in honor of the occasion and thus accom-panied, with a guitar, Silent Night was sung on Christmas Eve in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Oberdorf, Austria. It is virtually impossible to avoid hearing this song during Advent, wherever you are – in your car, the mall, a bank etc. but preferably in a sanctuary on Christmas Eve. See you there on December 24, 2017!                                                                                                                           Submitted by Audree