O Holy Night
O Holy Night is my favorite Christmas carol. It bring tears to my eyes if I really think about the words. It is amazing and beautiful. I wanted to know more about it, so I went to trusty Wikipedia, and here is what I learned.
O Holy Night ("Cantique de Noël") is a well-known Christmas carol composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the French poem "Minuit, chrétiens" by Placide Cappeau (1808-1877), an accomplished amateur. Cappeau was asked to write a Christmas poem by a parish priest. It has become a standard modern carol for solo performance with an operatic finish.
In the carol, the singer recalls the birth of Jesus. It was translated into English by Unitarian minister John Sullivan Dwight, editor of Dwight's Journal of Music in 1855 (note the abolitionist reference in the third verse: "for the slave is our brother"), and lyrics also exist in other languages.
On 24 December 1906, Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian inventor, broadcast the first AM radio program, which included him playing "O Holy Night" on the violin. The carol therefore appears to have been the first piece of music to be broadcast on radio.
I have added the lyrics to O Holy Night and the English translation of the poem, Minuit, chrétiens in the extended entry. So if you would like to read the lyrics or the poem, click continue reading. I think that it is really interesting to note that the English version of O Holy Night is not a direct translation of the French poem.
- Oh Holy Night Lyrics:
- Oh holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
- It is the night of the 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.
- Oh holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
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- Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
- Oh night divine, Oh night when Christ was born;
- Oh night divine, Oh night, Oh night Divine.
- Oh night divine, Oh night when Christ was born;
- Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
- 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 Orient land.
- The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
- In all our trials born to be our friend.
- With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
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- He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
- Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
- Behold your King, Behold your King.
- Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
- He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
- 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.
- His law is love and His gospel is peace.
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- Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
- His power and glory evermore proclaim.
- His power and glory evermore proclaim.
- His power and glory evermore proclaim.
- Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
- English Translation "Cantique de Noël"
- Midnight, Christians is the solemn hour
- When God as Man descended unto us
- To erase the original stain (sin)
- And end the wrath of his Father.
- The entire world trembles with expectation
- In this night that gives to us a Savior.
- When God as Man descended unto us
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- Fall on your knees, await your deliverance.
- Noel, Noel, here is the Redeemer,
- Noel, Noel, here is the Redeemer!
- Noel, Noel, here is the Redeemer,
- Fall on your knees, await your deliverance.
- The redeemer has broken every shackle
- The earth is free, and heaven is open.
- He sees a brother where there was once only a slave
- Those who had been chained together by iron, love now unites.
- Who will tell Him of our gratitude
- It is for every one of us that he was born, suffered and died.
- The earth is free, and heaven is open.
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- Stand on your feet, sing of your deliverance.
- Noel, Noel, sing of the Redeemer,
- Noel, Noel, sing of the Redeemer!
- Noel, Noel, sing of the Redeemer,
- Stand on your feet, sing of your deliverance.
- Midnight, Christians is the solemn hour
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