Songs
O Tannenbaum (Germany)
This is one of Europe's favorite carols. Its origins are completely shrouded in obscurity, having appeared in Germany sometime in the Middle Ages. For many years its popularity was confined to Germany and Austria, however, in this age of mass communication, it is now heard in Christmas concerts around the world. The English translation is "O Christmas Tree."
Silent Night - Original melody
Taken from an 1845 manuscript by Franz Gruber, this arrangement is played on a Harmonium which is a very old Estey reed pump organ more than 100 years old. To learn more about the artist, Cecilia Brauer, visit her website at http://www.gigmasters.com/armonica/ You can hear a slight difference in this original Franz Gruber melody from the "Zillertal" melody that most of us learned in school. It has much more of an Alpine sound which is appropriate for Austria -- "The Land of Silent Night." (Thanks to Cecilia Brauer for permission to share her recording.)
Stille Nacht - Austria
This is a recreation (1 verse) of the first performance of "Stille Nacht" in 1818. The words had been written by Joseph Mohr in 1816 and the music added on December 24, 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber. At Midnight Mass, Joseph Mohr played his guitar, both men sang, and the choir repeated the last two lines of each of the six verses.