" O Holy Night " (" Cantique de Noël ") is a well-known Christmas carol composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the French poem "Minuit, chrétiens" (Midnight, Christians) by Placide Cappeau (1808-1877), a wine merchant and poet. Cappeau was asked by a parish priest to write a Christmas poem. It has become a standard modern carol for solo performance with an operatic finish.
Origins
In the carol, the singer recalls the birth of Jesus. It was translated into English by Unitarian minister John Sullivan Dwight, editor of Dwight's Journal of Music in 1855, and lyrics also exist in other languages.
On 24 December 1906, Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian inventor, broadcast the first AM radio program, which included him playing "O Holy Night" on the violin. The carol therefore appears to have been the first piece of music to be broadcast on radio. It later appeared in an edition of carols by Josiah Armes, published by Oxford in 1936, subsequently increasing its popularity.
Popular versions on records (or CDs) include Enrico Caruso's 1912 recording, Julius LaRosa's version from 1953, Céline Dion's 1998 version (voted as the 3rd favourite Christmas song of all time in a 2004 poll), Josh Groban's 2002 release, and hundreds of LP non-single recordings.
Lyrics
O Holy Night - Version 1:
O Holy Night - Version 2:
(The second and third choruses are often replaced with a refrain of the first).
Minuits, chrétiens / Cantique de Noël:
English Translation of Minuits, chrétiens / Cantique de Noël: (N.b. the English version of 'O Holy Night' is not a direct translation of the French.)
References
- ^ http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/story/cole.s-christmas-song-tops-poll
External links
- Free sheet music for voice & piano from Cantorion.org
- Sheet music for "O Holy Night" (Cantique de Noël)
- The Hymns and Carols of Christmas – the history of "O Holy Night"
- Cantique de Noël / Canticle Noel / Kantik' de Noel' (O Holy Night) New English and Esperanto translations by Gene Keyes, with French and Dwight originals, plus melody score.
- Tabs for "O Holy Night"
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