O Holy Night
In 1847, a parish priest in a small town in France asked a local wine merchant named Placide Cappeau to write a poem for his church’s Christmas Eve mass. During a hard carriage ride to Paris, Cappeau read through the Gospel of Luke and imagined himself an eyewitness to the birth of Jesus. On that carriage ride, Cappeau wrote the words to a poem he entitled “Cantique de Noel” (Song of Christmas).
Cappeau asked his friend, Adolphe Charles Adam, to write the music. It was an easy feat for Adam, a trained and skilled musician, and he composed the tune with ease. The song was performed for the congregation on Christmas Eve as planned, and it was an absolute hit! The song quickly spread through France.
O Holy Night! The
stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
‘Till He appeared 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!
Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
However, leaders within the French church learned later to their horror that Cappeau had abandoned the Christian faith in favor of Socialism and that Mr Adam had always been a practicing Jew. Neither was a believer! Because of this, performance of the song was banned in French churches. The French people loved it, however, and continued to sing it in private. The song remained banned until the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, where the song was a catalyst for a ‘Christmas Eve truce’ between the armies.
The song came to the United States via a man named John S. Dwight, an abolitionist who was visiting France. He translated the song into English, with some liberties to advocate for his cause, especially in the third verse:
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 pow’r and glory evermore proclaim
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
https://www.incourage.me/2013/12/history-of-christmas-carols.html
