Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[www0935]

Please help me with the following question. Many thanks.

In the winter of 1818 at St. Nicholas� Church in Obendorf, a village not far from Salzburg, Joseph Mohr, assistant to the priest, was faced with a problem. It was only days before Christmas, and the church organ, so important in providing music for the services, was broken and would not be repaired before Christmas.

While worrying about the situation, Mohr suddenly remembered that two years earlier, he had written a simple poem, easily understood by the people of the village, which expressed the wonder of the birth of the Christ Child. The next day Mohr went to see the church organist, Franz Gruber, to compose music for his poem, so that they might sing it together using a guitar as an accompanying instrument. Since it was an emergency, it took Gruber only a couple of hours to come up with the melody.

Thus, the newly-composed carol was first performed during the Christmas Eve midnight service held at St. Nicholas� Church on December 24, 1818. However, it was not widely known until some years later, in 1825 when Carl Mauracher was rebuilding the broken organ, that a handwritten copy of the words and accompanying sheet music was discovered in the organ loft.

Mauracher took the music and words of �Silent Night� back to his own Alpine village, Kapfing. It soon became a favored song with the traveling singers. Thus, �Silent Night, Holy Night� spread as these choirs journeyed the countryside, singing their songs.
Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright!
�Round yon virgin mother and child!
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

According to the article, which statement is TRUE?
(A) �Silent Night� was first written in German.
(B) �Silent Night� was first sung without any musical instrument.
(C) The melody of �Silent Night� was first played by the organ.
(D) �Silent Night� was written in the form of a poem with the rhyme pattern of aabbaa.

The answer to the question is (A), but I cannot find the clue (German)from the passage. Please help.

[pugachevV]

A. is the correct answer.
Salzburg is a well-known town in Austria.
The language of Austria is German.
Naturally, the people would sing it in their native language.
Here are the German words:-

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Alles schl�ft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Hirten erst kundgemacht
Durch der Engel Halleluja,
T�nt es laut von fern und nah:
Christ, der Retter ist da!
Christ, der Retter ist da!

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht
Lieb' aus deinem g�ttlichen Mund,
Da uns schl�gt die rettende Stund'.
Christ, in deiner Geburt!
Christ, in deiner Geburt!