Silent Night

One of the world's most inspiring Christmas carols had its humble beginnings in a small village near Salzburg, Austria. Just before Christmas at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, organist Franz Gruber prepared to practice. But, instead of beautiful music, out came a terrible wheeze. Dampness had damaged the organ bellows. A Christmas Eve service with no organ music was unimaginable. On that Austrian eve in 1818, Father Joseph Mohr was preparing for the Christmas mass. As his thoughts filled with the first Christmas, he remembered a simple poem he'd written years ago. Father Mohr shared his poem with Gruber. Would the words be suited for a song accompanied by guitar? Maureen Brett Hooper provides a charming account of how the universally loved carol "Silent Night, Holy Night" was born, while Kasi Kubiak's soft oil paintings capture the magic of that holy night long ago.