On December 24, 1818, the Christmas carol "Silent Night, Holy Night" was heard for the first time. In Oberndorf near Salzburg, the music-knowledgeable assistant priest Josef Mohr had it sung at Christmas mass. Franz Xaver Gruber composed the melody to the lyrics, which Josef Mohr had already written in 1816 in Mariapfarr im Lungau. Since then, many legends and romantic stories have grown up around the first performance of “Silent Night, Holy Night”.
Over the years, the Christmas carol has made its way from Austria into the world. Probably in every country in the world that cultivates Christian traditions, the sounds of "Silent Night, Holy Night" ring out on December 24th.
The Silent Night Society in Oberndorf near Salzburg has set itself the task of researching all the circumstances and the distribution of the authentic versions of the song. With her publications and the "Blätter der Stille Nacht Gesellschaft" she wants to inform interested people worldwide about the current state of knowledge about the origin and distribution of the song.
The city of Burghausen has been a member of the Silent Night Society since 2009. With its membership, the city supports research, mediation and networking around the world's most famous Christmas carol. Since 2013, Burghausen has been the "carrier municipality" - this means that it makes a higher contribution and is involved in the board of trustees of the society. In addition to the city of Laufen, Burghausen is another German municipality that belongs to the Silent Night Society.
Burghausen's membership in the society was obvious, since a small part of the history of the song's origins can be found in Burghausen. Franz Xaver Gruber, the composer of "Silent Night, Holy Night", saw the light of day in Hochburg.
He received his basic musical training from the composer Georg Hartdobler, who was the parish organist at St. Jakob in Burghausen.
In 2008, the city placed a fortepiano in the Franz Xaver Gruber Memorial House, on which Georg Hartdobler probably taught the composer in 1805 and 1806. In the anniversary year 2018 - the 200th birthday of the song - Burghausen distributed the Silent Night sheets in the city, among other things. In addition to concerts in St. Jakob, there were also guided tours revolving around the composer Franz Xaver Gruber and the genesis of "Silent Night, Holy Night".
At the same time, the Burghauser cultural office launched a composition competition for the 200th birthday of the Christmas carol - "The Silent Night Song in a new guise". In total, more than 70 entries reached the artistic director Heinrich Wimmer. winners were
- Johann Simon Kreutzpointner, church music consultant of the Diocese of St. Pölten Lower Austria
- Luigi Mengoni, composer and organist, Florence
- Andreas Willscher, composer and organist, Hamburg
The city of Burghausen closed the anniversary year on November 25, 2018, the birthday of Franz Xaver Gruber, with a prizewinners' concert. The works are published in one work and are available on CD.
Contact
Silent Night Society
Silent Night Square 2
A-5110 Oberndorf near Salzburg
T. +43 660 2412200
E-mail: info@stillenacht.at
www.stillenacht.at