by Anna, age 9, asks who wrote Silent Night, about the Alps near Salzburg, and Mozart’s birthplace
Dear Santa,
Gruss Gott from Salzburg. My name is Anna and I am 9 years old. My music teacher took our whole class on a special trip this December to a tiny chapel just outside the city, telling us it was the very birthplace of one of the most famous carols in the entire world.
My first question is: who wrote the lyrics to the carol Silent Night?
My second question is geography: what mountains surround Salzburg?
My third question is from school: why is Salzburg famous as the birthplace of Mozart?
I left you a slice of Salzburger Nockerl, a fluffy sweet souffle, and a mug of hot chocolate.
Love, Anna, age 9, Salzburg, Austria
From the Desk of Father Christmas
Dear Anna, Salzburger Nockerl was as light and wonderful as its reputation promised, thank you very much. Now, to that famous little chapel, and your other questions.
Who wrote the lyrics to Silent Night?
Silent Night was written right there near Salzburg, in the small town of Oberndorf, in 1816, when a young priest named Joseph Mohr wrote the words as a poem. Two years later, in 1818, he asked a schoolteacher and organist named Franz Gruber to compose a melody for it, reportedly because the church organ had broken and they needed something that could be played on guitar instead for the Christmas Eve service. That simple, humble beginning grew into one of the most beloved and widely translated carols in the entire world, sung in over three hundred different languages today. I cannot write out the words for you here, since the song remains carefully protected in many arrangements, but your teacher chose a truly special trip for your class.
What mountains surround Salzburg?
Salzburg sits at the edge of the Alps, with dramatic peaks visible right from the city itself, part of the same mountain range that stretches across much of central Europe.
Why is Salzburg famous as Mozart’s birthplace?
The composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg in 1756, and the city has celebrated that connection ever since, with his childhood home preserved as a museum and his music filling concert halls throughout the year, making Salzburg one of the most important musical cities in the entire world.
Visit that little chapel again someday, and I shall see you very soon.
Ho ho ho, Santa
