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Season 10 Episode 9
Day 9 – The True Tale of “Silent Night”
Welcome to Day 9 of the Lifespring! WhyChristmas Advent Calendar and a special crossover with Lifespring! Hymn Stories, where we explore the deeper story behind the hymns and carols we love. Today we open the Advent door to discover the remarkable origin of what may be the most recorded Christmas carol of all time: Silent Night.
The episode begins with a warm invitation into both shows, reminding listeners that the beauty and meaning found in hymns is often rooted in real history, real people, and real faith. Steve explains how Lifespring! Hymn Stories approaches timeless lyrics with a fresh, contemporary musical treatment, helping these classic works come alive.
From there, Steve and James unfold the true account of how “Silent Night” came into the world. While legends have grown over the years — including the popular tale of a broken church organ — the genuine story is both simpler and more touching. In 1816, a young Austrian priest named Father Joseph Mohr penned the poem. Two years later, his friend Franz Gruber composed a gentle guitar accompaniment. That very night, during midnight Mass in Oberndorf, Austria, the carol was performed for the first time.
You’ll also hear about how the carol spread: from local families of traveling singers to its first performance in the United States in 1839 at the Alexander Hamilton Monument in New York. For decades, the true authorship was mistakenly credited to great composers such as Haydn and Mozart until a handwritten manuscript by Mohr resurfaced, restoring proper attribution.
This episode includes two beautiful renditions by Karmyn Tyler — the original German version and a translation into English — along with a moving performance by Alison Crowe. These musical moments bring the history of “Silent Night” to life in a vivid and heartfelt way.
If you’re new to the Lifespring Family of Podcasts, be sure to visit LifespringMedia.com to explore more shows. And to dig deeper into the history and meaning of Christmas, visit WhyChristmas.com, created by James Cooper.
As always, special thanks go to Bryan Duncan and the NehoSoul Band for the theme “This Christmas,” Michael Silvestri for the guitar background, and to Karmyn Tyler for the exclusive a cappella recordings created just for this Advent series.
Thanks for joining us for Day 9. May the story of “Silent Night,” born in simplicity yet filled with peace, bless you today. God bless you!
Published on 2 weeks, 4 days ago