In 1816, near the starving and ruined city of Salzburg, Austria, a 24-year-old priest named Joseph Mohr suffered, along with his parishioners, in the wreckage of the Napoleonic Wars. In that suffering ...

“Silent Night” is one of the most popular Christmas hymns, often sung in churches lit only by candles. The song describes a “tender and mild” infant Christ slumbering undisturbed in “heavenly peace.” ...

A few nights ago, on the first really cold night in Virginia, I walked past a woman on the streets of Alexandria who was playing an instrument and singing all the verses to “Silent Night.” There was, ...

It was just a simple poem written by a village priest. However, when the church organist composed a melody for it, “Silent Night” became a song that would touch the world. The priest, Josef Mohr, and ...