For Christmas Eve

Words: Words: Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!, Rev. Joseph Mohr, 1816
Translation: J. F. Warner, 1849

Music: "Stille Nacht," Franz Xaver Gruber (1787-1863), circa 1818¹
MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / PDF / XML
Source: Silent Night -- The Original Sheet Music

Source: Charles Dingley, ed., The Devotional Harmonist (New York: George Lane and Levi Scott, 1851), p. 373.

1. Silent night! halllow'd night!
Land and deep silent sleep,
Softly glitters bright Bethlehem's star,
Beck'ning Israel's eye from afar,
Where the Saviour is born,
Where the Saviour is born.

2. Silent night! hallow'd night!
On the plain wakes the strain,
Sung by heavenly harbingers bright,
Fraught with tidings of boundless delight,
Jesus, the Saviour, has come,
Jesus, the Saviour has come.

3. Silent night! hallow'd night!
Earth, awake, silence break,
High your anthems of melody raise,
Sing to heaven in cordial praise,¹
Peace forever shall reign,
Peace forever shall reign.

Note:

1. Other editors have replaced this line with Sing to heaven in anthems of praise or Heaven and earth in full chorus of praise. Return

Sheet music from Charles Dingley, ed., The Devotional Harmonist (New York: George Lane and Levi Scott, 1851), p. 373.

Sheet music from Tullius Clinton O'Kane, ed., Joy to the World: Or, Sacred Songs for Gospel Meetings (Walden and Stowe, 1878), p. 77, #91

Sheet music from R M Bishop, ed., The Christian Hymnal: A Collection of Hymns and Tunes for Congregational and Social Worship. Revised Edition (Central Book Concern, 1882), p. 197, #557.

Sheet music "Hallowed Night" by Asa Hull from Asa Hull, ed., Happy Greetings (New York: Asa Hull, 1888), p. 150.

Sheet music from Edwin Barfield Chappell, William James Kirkpatrick, eds., Songs of Praise and Service (Nashville, TN: Smith & Lamar, 1912), p. 149, No. 152.

Note:

This is believed to be the oldest translation of "Stille Nacht" in the English language. Translated by J. F. Warner, it was first published in Charles Dingley, ed., The Devotional Harmonist (New York: George Lane and Levi Scott, 1851), p. 373. Prepared for some Methodist Episcopal Churches in New York and New Jersey, the copyright was 1849.

The scanned copy found at Google Books was damaged. The correct lyrics were kindly supplied by Mr. David Macfarlane, to whom I am very grateful.

According to John Julian, this carol was also found as No. 131 in Campbell's 1865 Christian Hymn Book (text only). Julian also wrote that "it is suggested by, rather than a tr. of the German." (Dictionary of Hymnology, 1907, p. 761). This observation is also true of most other "translations" of Stille Nacht. It should be noted that the Campbell version contained the altered fourth line in the third verse.

Also occurs in:

• N. H. Aitch, ed., The Golden Book of Favorite Songs. Tenth Edition (Chicago: Hall & McCreary Company, 1915), p. 114.

• Alexander Campbell, ed., The Christian Hymn Book: A Compilation of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, Original and Selected, Third Edition, Revised (American Christian Missionary Society, Bosworth, 1866), p. 81, #131. Also in the 1870 and 1876 editions.

• A. I. Hobbs, et al., The Christian Hymnal Revised (Christian Publishing Co., 1882).