Link

 

I love Christmas Carol’s and when I was a choir girl it was one of my favourite times of the year…Silent Night has always been a favourite of mine sadly no recording exists of that very first performance, but the song quickly spread through Europe. In fact, “Silent Night” has been recorded at least 733 times over the past 36 years alone.

The song’s lyrics were originally written in Germany and the German version of “Stille Nacht” is still a firm favourite of mine…I also adore listening to “Silent Night” sang Acapella or just played by a lone sax…wonderful…

This six verse poem was penned by a young Austrian priest named Joseph Mohr who could have probably as he was a gifted musician have written the musical score…instead, he enlisted the aid of a friend Franz Xaver Gruber, a local schoolteacher and organist, to write the music for the six verses…The two friends then sang “Silent Night” together for the first time in front of Mohr’s congregation, with Mohr playing his guitar on Christmas Eve, in the year 1818…

The rest is history…The lyrics of “Silent Night” have always carried an important message for Christmas Eve observances in churches around the world. But the song’s lilting melody and peaceful lyrics also remind us of a universal sense of grace that transcends Christianity and unites people across cultures and faiths.

I’m sure there are many lists and that everyone has their favourite versions…

Sinead O’Connor’s version of the classic carol, which was released in the year 2000…is one of my top 6 which follow in no particular order

This man needs no introduction…

I could listen to this all day…which I have been doing same words, different singers…

I absolutely love Acapella and Andrea Bocelli is one of my favourites.

This one by Stevie Nicks is beautiful…no bells and whistles just beautiful…

I love listening to the sax it is so beautiful…this version is one I recently discovered …

Finally…I know I couldn’t keep it to 5…The most beautiful version of Silent Night …The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge is an English choir. It is considered one of today’s most accomplished and renowned representatives of the great English choral tradition. It was created by King Henry VI, who founded King’s College, Cambridge, in 1441, to provide daily singing in his Chapel, which remains the main task of the choir to this day.

Thank you for joining me today I hope you have enjoyed my choices…xx I look forward to your comments as always and to hearing which version is your favourite…

 

 

 

 

40 thoughts on “CarolCooks2… Silent Night my 6 favourite versions…”

  4. Pingback: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup… 5th- 11th December 2021…Environmental A-Z, Music, Recipes and Free Wine Fountains… | Retired? No one told me!

  5. Jim Borden

    so many great versions – how to pick a favorite? but I’m a big fan of Stevie and Rod, and I love the sax as well, so I’ll go with those…

    I’ve done this with Oh Holy Night – I’ve listened to dozens of versions…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Not got around to Oh Holy Night yet but I do like it…More to come on Silent Night there are really good versions…Rod is my all time favourite whatever he sings…I hope you are having a great week, Jim 🙂 x

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Jim Borden

        I knew you liked Rod, so I was not surprised to see a version by him in your post. It’s a fun time of year to listen to all these great singers sing some classic Christmas tunes…

        Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Thank you, Pete its going to be Silent Night fest for the rest of December I will be slipping a version into most of my posts there are some great versions out there among the not so great…x

      Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I am trying Marian although it’s hard this year as both my girls are having chemo but the grandkids look forward to Christmas and writing the posts helps me keep my Christmas Spirit going…I love Sinead O’Connor’s version myself… there are in fact some great versions among the not so great versions and I will be popping a few of those into my Christmas posts over the next few weeks 🙂 x

      Liked by 1 person

  10. johnrieber

    A great collection of Singers here Carol…my wife had Rod Stewart on her show a few weeks back and he was gracious, charming, and a lot of fun – sang for them too!

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Becky Ross Michael

    A song that often brings tears to my eyes, Carol, along with childhood memories. You’ve picked some winners, here, that’s for sure! For the wonderful “shiver factor,” I would probably have to go with Andrea Bocelli. But I like them each in their own way!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Same with me Becky I was listening to them for a few hours yesterday with the tissues handy… I adore listening to Andrea but hard to pick one from them I love instrumentals particulary with the Sax… x

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Clive

    I’ve always loved this carol too, Carol. Though it can depend on the singer! One of these versions has been part of my Advent Calendar and may well make it this year too: Sinead O’Connor. I think it is stunning! 😊xx

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Jessica

    What a beautiful post. They are all wonderful. I am a huge Stevie Nicks fan, so this was especially wonderful. I didn’t know she sang it. Thank you for sharing it.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.