O Holy Night
O holy night! the stars are brightly shining.
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul fell 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, O holy night, divine!
The night was calm and peaceful with only the flickering light of a campfire in the darkness of the field. Nearby reclined a group of shepherds watching the flock of sheep resting around them. The danger of wild animals attacking the lambs was always a concern. Suddenly a radiant light burst from the skies above them! A shining angel proclaimed the miraculous announcement of Christ’s birth. Instantly, a great host of angels appeared in the sky, praising God. It was indeed a “night divine!”
What did this holy night of Christ’s birth mean to humanity? This inspiring song, “O Holy Night,” reminds us that it brought to a weary world a “thrill of hope” and freedom from oppression. It meant we would have a friend who “knows our need” and teaches us “to love one another.” Truly we should bow in humble adoration and proclaim, “His power and glory evermore.”
“O Holy Night” was written in 1847. Placide Cappeau de Rouquemaure was the commissionaire of wines in a small French town. Known more for his poetry than his church attendance, it probably shocked Placide when his parish priest asked the commissionaire to pen a poem for Christmas mass. Nevertheless, the poet was honored to share his talents and penned “Cantique de Noel.”
The poem was put to music by Placide’s friend, Adolphe Charles Adams. When Adolphe studied the words of “Cantique de Noel,” he couldn’t help but note its overtly spiritual lyrics embracing the birth of a Savior. A man of Jewish ancestry, these words represented a holiday he did not celebrate and a man he did not view as the Son of God. Nevertheless, moved by more than friendship, Adams quickly and diligently went to work, attempting to marry an original score to the beautiful words. Adams’ finished work pleased both poet and priest, and it was performed just three weeks later at a midnight mass on Christmas Eve.
Initially, “Cantique de Noel” was wholeheartedly accepted by the church in France, and the song quickly found its way to various Catholic Christmas services. But when Placide Cappeau walked away from the church and became part of the socialist movement and church leaders discovered that Aldophe Adams was a Jew, the song – which had quickly grown to be one of the most beloved Christmas songs in France – was suddenly and uniformly denounced by the church. The heads of the French Catholic church of the time deemed the song as unfit for church services because of its lack of musical taste and “total absence of the spirit of religions. Yet even as the church tried to bury it, the French people continued to sing the Christmas song.
Legend has it that on Christmas Eve 1871, almost two decades after the song had been written, in the midst of fierce fighting between armies of Germany and France during the Franco-Prussia War, a French soldier suddenly jumped out of his muddy trench. Both sides stared at the seemingly crazed man. Boldly standing with no weapons in his hands or at his side, he lifted his eyes to the heavens and began singing “O Holy Night.” After completing all three verses, a German infantryman climbed out of his hiding place and answered with Martin Luther’s “From Heaven’s above to Earth I Come.”
The story goes that the fighting stopped for the next twenty-four hours while the men on both sides observed a temporary peace in honor of Christmas day. Perhaps this story had a part in the French church once again embracing “Cantique de Noel” as being worthy of inclusion in holiday services.
Without a doubt, I know that during this season you will hear “O Holy Night” either on the radio or on your favorite CD. I only ask that you stop and remember. Remember the story – the story of the song, the story of Christ, the story that is meant for you this Christmas season.
Michelle