THE WRITING OF SILENT NIGHT

By  Brain Childs

The Real Origin of Silent Night.

It was Christmas, 1818. In the tiny village of Oberndorf, Austria, the organ at the Church of St. Nicholas had broken down. The schoolmaster/organist Franz Gruber put a tune to the lyrics written two years earlier by the young priest Father Joseph Mohr, and this was used to fill the gap at the Christmas Eve Service. Silent Night was sung with a guitar accompaniment played by Gruber, and the church choir joined in ... giving a full four-part harmony.

Unintended Consequences: The House of ...

At the start of the war, George V belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. In June 1917, a fleet of German planes bombed London: the planes were the ‘Gotha G IV’ - the City of London had been bombed by planes bearing the name of the Royal Family! The King was greatly worried about the rising public hate for all things German, so he instructed Lord Stamfordham (his Private Secretary) to devise a new name for the Royal Family - the name must be ‘Royal’ sounding and quintessentially English. The King rejected the suggestion of Plantagenet, and Prime Minister Asquith advised against Tudor (with its recollections of Henry VIII and ‘Bloody Mary’). Asquith also advised against Stuart - one Stuart having been beheaded, and another having been forced from the throne. The suggestion of Fitzroy was rejected because of its connection to Henry Fitzroy, the illegitimate son of Henry VIII.

While working at Windsor Castle, Stamfordham thought of Windsor - which appealed to the King, and on 17 July 1917 he issued a Royal Proclamation to effect the change. This prompted Lord Rosebery (the former Prime Minister) to write to Stamfordham saying: “Do you realise that you have just Christened a Dynasty. There are few people in the world who have done this. None, I think. It is really something to be historically proud of. I admire and envy you!”

[The song is sub-titled Yesterday’s Men, a reference to the ‘Ruling Class’, the men of power, of might and honour (?) who - in their wisdom - knew what was best for us, and had the duty to tell us so and run our lives for us, so that we could follow their bidding ... because that’s what they rightly were born to do. Has much has changed since then?] (Choose your own key)

1) 1914 and Saxe-Coburg* is King(* King George V)

What will the future now bring

And what will he do if we go fight the Hun

For a German’s a German, when all’s said and done

But never forget that your three score and ten

Belongs to Yesterday’s Men - Oh, it belongs to Yesterday’s Men

~~~

2) Lord Kitchener told us: your Country needs you

Or else we’ll be all in a stew

So Tommy MacDonald has gone off to war

And every one asks - What are we fighting for?

For where we have one man I’m sure they have ten

And we’re fighting for Yesterday’s Men - Oh, we’re fighting for Yesterday’s Men

~~~

3) Over by Christmas - or that’s what they said

Soon be back safe in your bed

So they gave him a tin hat, they gave him a gun

Told him - Now Tommy, just go fight the Hun

For King and for Country, then come home again

And you’ll get to be Yesterday’s Men - Oh, you’ll get to be Yesterday’s Men

~~~

4) Now the Kaiser is wiser when it comes to a fight

He keeps us awake half the night

He fires all his canons and throws his big bombs 

Scares the wits out of us Aussies and Poms

While he’s far away in his snug little den

‘Cause he’s one of Yesterday’s Men - Oh, he’s one of Yesterday’s Men

~~~

5) The Sergeant he tells us we’re no bloody good

He makes it quite clear understood

The Colonel just sits there - he’s reading the Times

They say he’s a Banker, or something that rhymes

But he tells us just what to do, how, where and when

‘Cause he’s one of Yesterday’s Men - Oh, he’s one of Yesterday’s Men

~~~

6) Autumn’s now over, and Winter’s to stay

And it’s first light upon Christmas Day

The guns yet are silent, the Sergeant don’t nag

Across in the far lines a man waves a flag

First there was one man ... and then there was ten

And they all sang like Yesterday’s Men - Oh, they all sang like Yesterday’s Men

spoken: “And they sang ...”

[to the tune of Silent Night - key: E, start on the note of B (Soh)]

Coda Silent Night, Holy Night

 All is calm, all is bright

Round the Battlefield all is still

Peace on Earth to men of good will

 So sleep in Heavenly Peace

 Sleep in Heavenly Peace

[main tune again - key: A, start on the note of A]

~~~

7) Handshakes were shaken, a cup of tea shared

Smiles all around, no-one cared

A football was kicked on the Saviour’s birth

And everyone wished for his own Peace on Earth

Once more we shook hands, then they went back again

Goodbye to Yesterday’s Men - Oh, goodbye to Yesterday’s Men

~~~

8) The very next day, and the fight’s under way

Gas clouds come rolling my way

We fought and we killed just the same as before

Till victory at last brings an end to the War

For a few years of peace ... [slight pause] ... then it started again

All thanks to Yesterday’s Men - Oh, it’s all thanks to Yesterday’s Men

[to the tune of Silent Night - key: E, start on the note of B (Soh)]

Coda Silent Night, Holy Night

 All is calm, all is bright

Round the graveyard no flags any more

Oh, what’s become of this War to end War

 Who can sleep in Heavenly Peace?

 Who sleeps in Heavenly Peace?

 Who sleeps in Heavenly Peace?