O Holy Night

O Holy Night is one of the most famous Christmas carols in the modern era. Created by the 19th-century French composer Adolphe Adam, it emphasizes the importance of Christmas as the deliverance of mankind from sin, through the birth of Jesus Christ.

History

O Holy Night began as the Minuit, chrétiens (Midnight, Christians), written in 1843 by the poet Placide Cappeau to celebrate the renovation of the church organ in his native town of Roquemaure in southern France. Literally translated into English, Cappeau's Cantique is significantly different from today's popular carol; the first stanza, for instance, begins "Midnight, Christians, it is the solemn hour," rather than "O holy night! The stars are brightly shining."

Shortly after Cappeau finished writing his poem, the French composer Adolphe Adam added musical accompaniment to the lyrics. In this form, and renamed Cantique de Noël, it was first performed in Roquemaure in 1847 by the opera singer Emily Laurey. The carol soon became well-known in the Western world, and in 1855, its English meaning was adapted by John Sullivan Dwight (1813-1893), a New England Unitarian minister and musical critic. Though the essential spirit of the carol was maintained, the specific language was altered to improve its rhyme and cadence, and references in the third verse to ending slavery and oppression were made more emphatic (Dwight was involved with the abolitionist movement). In this adapted form, O Holy Night (as it now began) quickly became popular in the United States and has remained so since, though most people today are only familiar with the first and to a lesser extent the third verse.

Lyrics

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining, It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till He appear'd and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

  Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
  O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
  O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming, With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand. So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming, Here come the wise men from the Orient land. The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger; In all our trials born to be our friend.

  He knows our need, to our weaknesses no stranger,
  Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
  Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother; And in His name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, Let all within us praise His holy name.

  Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
  His power and glory evermore proclaim.
  His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Legacy

O Holy Night has been performed by a number of entertainers over the years. Some of the most successful versions were by Johnny Mathis in 1958, Mariah Carey in 1994, John Berry in 1996, Martina McBride in 1997, and Josh Groban in 2002 (which reached No. 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary charts).

According to some reports, fighting during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 ceased while French troops sang the carol across the front line to their German opponents.

A rendition of the song by a church choir appears during a prominent scene in the 1990 movie Home Alone.

The former editor-in-chief of the Roman Catholic magazine America, George W. Hunt, S.J., called O Holy Night "one of his favorites" among Christmas songs.