Thursday, December 1, 2011
Silent Night
When I was a child, my parents used to show me a movie about how a mouse named Nonny helped save the song that would become the Christmas carol "Silent Night". To this day, I have not been able to find it, but the story made a huge impact on me (not least because it contained a musician singing, "Christmas Eve brings Christmas Cheer/Kiss me quick and pass the beer", which I thought was hilarious). The above clip is the closest I've come to finding anything to do with the story.
The origins of "Silent Night" lie in Austria, where in 1818 a small-town priest, Joseph Mohr, wrote the lyrics and asked his friend, Franz Xaver Gruber, to write music for a guitar. Apparently the original tune was quite danceable, and only later slowed down into the lullaby version that we all know today. In any case, I grew up hearing it sung in German, and that was the only language I knew it in for a couple of years as a small child. (I will say this for my German abilities: due to singing German and listening to Kinderlieder 24/7* as a child, I have a damn good accent.)
"Silent Night" was not one of my favorite carols until fairly recently, when I finally woke up to how lush and sweet the melody actually is. Perhaps it was hearing all of those awful pop versions that the radio plays that made me hate the carol so much. And then my brother played the following video for me, and I was sold.
*Remind me someday to tell the story of the Horror of the German Lieder Cassette. It's a scream.
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5 comments:
http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Mouse-True-Story-Night/dp/6301910354
This one ?
Funnily enough, I acquired my German accent by similar means (though with less household German.) I say I prefer "Stille Nacht" because it fits the meter better, but I suspect it's because the Respected Father sang the German version only when in unusually good moods. Thanks for sharing the gorgeous video--that may be more verses than I've previously heard.
I think this is the version from our old LP (it's the cover, at least...) possibly familiar to you as well? http://youtu.be/DRc_L9P2t-Y. On a less seasonal note: please do tell the story of the lieder cassette sometime... the preview rival's Watson's best.
P.S. Why have I put an apostrophe in a verb??? THE HORROR, THE HORROR.
while we rehearsed for last Christmas' midnight mass carols, I suggested we sang Silent Night in German (because it's the original, and because I think it is more beautiful). I got the kind of looks you may have got in your German class re. Beethoven and Wagner- the choir mistress said patiently "there's always one.....).
Not actually a church-goer, but carols are gorgeous, the Story is timeless, and churches are great to sing in...it's fun to find an empty one for an all-out self-indulgent practice!
@Peter: That's it! Oh my gosh, that is awesome!
@Lucy: Yes, that's a familiar version, too! I like the carol in both languages: in high school choir we sang it in both, alternating verses in English and German. And yes, I will definitely tell the story of the lieder cassette. Probably tomorrow. :)
@shapta-dakini: the carols ARE gorgeous, and one of my favorite parts of Christmas. I'm so glad to be singing them in church right now, and in German. It's really cool.
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