O Holy Night: The Story Behind the Song

“O Holy Night” is one of the most beloved Christmas songs of all time. Its fascinating story began in France, yet eventually spread around the world.

In 1847, Placide Cappeau, a commissioner of wines in a small French village, and a known poet, was asked by his parish priest to write a poem for their Christmas mass. When he finished “Cantique de Noel,” Cappeau turned to his friend Adolphe Charles Adams to compose music for it. The song was sung at Christmas Eve mass.

Initially, “O Holy Night” was widely loved throughout France and made its way into many Catholic Christmas services. But when Cappeau later left the church and joined the socialist movement, and it was discovered that Adams was a Jew, the Catholic church uniformly denounced the song. But by then it had become a Christmas favorite, and although banned in church, the French people continued to sing it.

A decade later, songwriter John Sullivan Dwight introduced the song in America. An abolitionist, he was moved by the lyrics “Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother; And in His name all oppression shall cease.” The English lyrics quickly became popular, especially in the North during the Civil War.

Meanwhile, back in France, legend has it that on Christmas Eve in 1871, in the midst of intense fighting between French and German soldiers during the Franco-Prussian War, an unarmed French soldier jumped out of the trenches and walked onto the battlefield singing the first lines of “O Holy Night” in French. A German soldier soon joined in and fighting ceased for the next 24 hours in honor of Christmas.

Years later, Reginald Fessenden—a young college professor and former chief chemist for Thomas Edison—figured out that by combining two frequencies, radio could do more than transmit Morse code. It would be possible to speak! On Christmas Eve 1906, Fessenden made history as he spoke into a microphone over the airwaves “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” 

Shocked radio operators on ships and wireless business owners suddenly flocked to their units to hear over their tiny speakers someone reading the Christmas story from the Book of Luke. A Christmas miracle!

Fessenden then picked up his violin and performed the first song sent through the airwaves by radio—“O Holy Night.”

O Holy Night

(original English lyrics)

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

  Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born.
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land.
The king of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials, born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!

Copyright © 2020 Cheryl Elton