O Holy Night

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"O Holy Night" (original title: Script error: No such module "Lang".) is a sacred song about the night of the birth of Jesus Christ, described in the first verse as "the dear Saviour", and frequently performed as a Christmas carol. Based on the French-language poem Minuit, chrétiens, written in 1847 by poet Placide Cappeau, it was set to music by composer Adolphe Adam. The English version, with small changes to the initial melody, is by John Sullivan Dwight.

In recent times the song has been covered by many popular performers.

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Origin and composition

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"O Holy Night" is derived from the poem Minuit, chrétiens, written in 1847 by Placide Cappeau, who was a wine commissionaire and a part-time poet.[1] Stained glass had been renovated at a church he frequently attended in Roquemaure, France, and this led parish priest Maurice Gilles to ask Cappeau if he would write a new song to be sung at that year's Christmas Midnight Mass.[2][3] Cappeau was friends with Emily Laurey, a singer, and Laurey had connections to the famous opera composer Adolphe Adam, who had written his most famous work, Giselle, just a few years prior. The plan was to refer the writing to Adam upon Cappeau's arrival to Paris while on a business trip, where Adam was located.[4] As such, Cappeau wrote Minuit, chrétiens on 3 December 1847, during a stagecoach ride from Mâcon to Dijon, about a six-hour trip.[4][5]

Cappeau's understanding of Christian theology was derived from Jesuit educators at the Collège de France in Paris.[2] The words are based on the Nativity of Jesus, specifically from the Gospel of Luke, and were inspired by the hypothesis of being a witness of the moment.[3] His poem was generally anthemic, reflective of Cappeau's socialist and abolitionist views. Minuit, chrétiens spoke commands to kneel and demonstrate humility before God. Its opening line, which spawned early controversy for the song adaptation, reads: "Midnight, Christians! It is the solemn hour when the Man-God descended unto us, to erase original sin, and to stop the wrath of his Father."[2] The original French text more directly refers to the Christian gospel message.[6]

Cappeau was proud of his work on Minuit, chrétiens, and requested Adolphe Adam set the poem to music within the same trip. Adam's exact beliefs regarding Christianity are unknown, although it is known that he was raised in a non-Christian environment,[5] and he would frequently play organ in churches in Paris and had a Catholic funeral.[4][5] The composition was completed within a few days of the original request,[7] and Cappeau referred to the completed piece as "Cantique de Noël".[5]

The most popular English rendition of "Cantique de Noël" was written by American music critic and minister John Sullivan Dwight in 1855. An ordained Unitarian, he soon departed from the vocation of ministry to instead pursue a career in music and teaching.[1] Dwight was influenced by the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson.[5] It is accepted that Dwight altered Cappeau's lyrics significantly more than would have been necessary to produce a singable translation, changing the meaning of certain parts.[5][8] "O hear the angel voices [...] O night divine" replaced "Await your deliverance [...] Behold the Redeemer" and "With all our hearts we praise his holy name" replaced "It is for us that he was born, that he suffered and died."[8] Another English translation, "O Night Divine", was done by American musician Hart Pease Danks, who was influenced by Dwight's version as early as 1885, and both competed in popularity.[2]

Lyrics

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"Cantique de Noël" (Placide Cappeau, 1847) "O Holy Night" (English version – not a translation – by John Sullivan Dwight, 1855)

Minuit ! Chrétiens, c'est l'heure solennelle
Où l'homme Dieu descendit jusqu'à nous,
Pour effacer la tache originelle
Et de son père arrêter le courroux:
Le monde entier tressaille d'espérance
A cette nuit qui lui donne un sauveur
Peuple à genoux, attends ta délivrance
Noël ! Noël ! Voici le Rédempteur !
Noël ! Noël ! Voici le Rédempteur !

De notre foi que la lumière ardente
Nous guide tous au berceau de l'enfant
Comme autrefois, une étoile brillante
Y conduisit les chefs de l'Orient
Le Roi des Rois naît dans une humble crèche,
Puissants du jour fiers de votre grandeur,
A votre orgueil c'est de là qu'un Dieu prêche,
Courbez vos fronts devant le Rédempteur !
Courbez vos fronts devant le Rédempteur !

Le Rédempteur a brisé toute entrave,
La terre est libre et le ciel est ouvert
Il voit un frère où n'était qu'un esclave
L'amour unit ceux qu'enchaînait le fer,
Qui lui dira notre reconnaissance?
C'est pour nous tous qu'il naît, qu'il souffre et meurt:
Peuple, debout ! chante ta délivrance,
Noël ! Noël! chantons le Rédempteur !
Noël ! Noël! chantons le Rédempteur !

O 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 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! 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 came 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 weakness no stranger.
Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, 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! Then ever, ever praise we!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!

History

"Cantique de Noël" was first sung at the Midnight Mass of 1847 in Roquemaure. "Within a generation or so", according to Christmas carol historian William Studwell, "Cantique de Noël" has been translated into many languages and received many renditions. One of the earliest publications was an organ arrangement published around 1855.[4] The song saw large popularity throughout France as early as 1864, where the Catholic music journal Revue de Musique Sacrée stated that the song "has been performed at many churches during Midnight Masses" and "is sung in the streets, at social gatherings, and at bars with live entertainment." In 1848 France underwent a revolution;[2] "Cantique de Noël" was praised by the French poet Alphonse de Lamartine as "a religious Marseillaise",[9] in reference to the 1792 revolutionary song that became the national anthem of France, which worried some amidst the revolution.[5] Additionally, many leaders within the Christian church criticized the song's "militant tone and dubious theology", according to America magazine. They particularly opposed the line "Et de son Père arrêter le courroux” ("to cease the wrath of his Father"), which they felt depicted an angry and vengeful God in contrast to Jesus. This resulted in the song's exclusion from Catholic hymnals. Most of the song's criticism was however directed at its lyricist and composer. Catholic music critics derided Cappeau as a socialist and a drunk, and his apostasy from Christianity in his later years also garnered criticism;[4] And Adam received criticism when false rumors spread about him supposedly being Jewish. A notable example of this was in 1930, when the composer Vincent d’Indy wrote an article that erroneously included Adam's name in a list of Jewish composers and declared they were motivated purely by financial gain, as opposed to the article's subject, Richard Wagner.[2]

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Revue de Musique Sacrée declared "Cantique de Noël" "debased and degenerated" in 1864, recommending that the song "go its own way, far from houses of religion, which can do very well without it."[2] This did not however prevent the song's popularity increasing internationally. The Canadian composer and folklorist Ernest Gagnon first heard the song performed at a Midnight Mass at the Church of Saint-Roch, and imported it to Canada in 1858, starting in Quebec at a Midnight Mass performance by the eldest daughter of René-Édouard Caron.[10] Although some concern about the song began in ecclesiastic circles there as well, the song became very popular in the country, and it became a tradition for soloists to perform the song at Midnight Masses.[2] On 22 September 1936, archbishop Joseph-Guillaume-Laurent Forbes banned "O Holy Night" from being performed in churches of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa, along with other songs and wedding marches, the Canadian national anthem, and many versions of Ave Maria, including those by composers such as Franz Schubert, Charles Gounod, Pietro Mascagni, and Jules Massenet.[11] According to Forbes' secretary, the reason for the ban of these songs was the desire for the promotion and exclusive use of Gregorian chant and Gregorian music.[11]

John Sullivan Dwight first discovered "O Holy Night" while researching songs to critique for his publication Dwight's Journal of Music. Dwight praised the song, whose themes of equality resonated with him as an abolitionist: "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!" This perfectly captured views of abolishing slavery, which was the primary source of opposition amidst the ongoing American Civil War. His publishing of "O Holy Night" saw high levels of popularity in the United States, especially within the North.[3] Although disputed due to a lack of formal documentation, the first song played over a radio broadcast is usually attributed to inventor Reginald Fessenden's performance of "O Holy Night" on violin in 1906.[12]

Meanwhile, it was still common to be discriminatory of the song in France after World War II; French composer Auguste Sérieyx notably would rebuke those who performed the song on organ and in choirs, and the priests who "tolerate or encourage them." By 1956 the song was "expunged from many dioceses due to the emphatic aspect of its lyrics as much as the music itself, and the contrast they provide with the holiday liturgy", according to Paris publication Le Dictionnaire du Foyer Catholique.[2]

Since the song's creation, there have been demonstrations of spiritual usage of the song within Christian circles. One legend states that in 1870, French troops sung the song on Christmas Eve during the Franco-Prussian War during trench warfare, and combat temporarily ceased. In 2004, the song was sung by a Catholic priest to a dying American Marine soldier while deployed in Fallujah, Iraq.[2]

Modern usage

William Studwell stated in his book The Christmas Carol Reader that "O Holy Night" is "the most popular carol in France and belongs in the upper echelon of carols on an international basis."[4] It is common tradition in French and Canadian culture to have a solo performance at Midnight Mass. Its difficult higher registers result in anticipation that its wide range of notes be sung on pitch.[2][13][10]

In recent history the song has been covered in a variety of Christmas album collections, across a range of genres and song styles. Popular covers of the song include renditions by Michael Crawford, Mariah Carey, NSYNC, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Weezer, Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Ella Fitzgerald, Carrie Underwood, and Andrea Bocelli.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". In a 2010 survey conducted by Zogby International, "O Holy Night" was ranked as the most popular Christmas song, ahead of "White Christmas" and "The Christmas Song".[14]

On record charts

The song has been recorded by numerous pop, classical, and religious singers. Several renditions by popular artists have appeared on record charts:

Charts

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Certifications

Mariah Carey version

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Celine Dion version

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See also

References

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External links

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