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O Holy Night
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Wikipedia article
"'O Holy Night'" (also known as ) is a well-known Christmas carol. Originally based on a French-language poem by poet Placide Cappeau, written in 1843, with the first line (Midnight, Christians, is the solemn hour) that composer Adolphe Adam set to music in 1847. The English version is by John Sullivan Dwight. The carol reflects on the birth of Jesus as humanity's redemption.
History
In Roquemaure at the end of 1843, the church organ had recently been renovated. To celebrate the event, the parish priest persuaded poet Placide Cappeau, a native of the town, to write a Christmas poem. Soon afterwards that same year, Adolphe Adam composed the music. The song was premiered in Roquemaure in 1847 by the opera singer Emily Laurey.
Unitarian minister John Sullivan Dwight, editor of 'Dwight's Journal of Music', wrote the English version in 1855.Nobbman, Dale V. [https://books.google.com/books?id=_3WBhALsuYsC&pg=PA36 'Christmas Music Companion Fact Book']. 2000. p. 36. Google Books This version became popular in the United States, especially in the North, where the third verse resonated with abolitionists, including Dwight himself.
The wide vocal range of the song makes it one of the more difficult Christmas songs to execute properly, especially for untrained amateurs. In French-language churches, it is commonly used at the beginning of the Midnight Mass.
On record charts
The song has been recorded by numerous well-known popular-music, classical-music, and religious-music singers. It makes a frequent appearance in the annual performances of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge. Several renditions by popular artists have appeared on record charts:
*1971: Tommy Drennan and the Monarchs reached Christmas in the Official Irish Singles Chart
*1994: Mariah Carey, from her first studio holiday album, 'Merry Christmas', reached on the US 'Billboard' Holiday 100 chart. It was re-released as a single in 1996 and 2000; a re-recorded live rendition is included on her 2010 follow-up album 'Merry Christmas II You'. In 2019, her single was certified Gold in the US by RIAA. It also reached in Italy and it was certified Gold.
*1996: John Berry on the 'Billboard' Hot Country Songs chart
*1997: Martina McBride on Hot Country Songs chart (also in 1998, in 1999, in 2000, and in 2001)
*1998: Celine Dion on 'Billboard's Holiday chart; in 2014, Nielsen SoundScan reported that her version had sold 240,000 copies in the US.
*2002: Josh Groban 'Billboard' Adult Contemporary chart
*2006: Josh Gracin on Hot Country Songs chart
*20102011: 'Glee' cast US 'Billboard' Holiday Digital Song Sales chart
*2012: Ladywell Primary School in Motherwell, Scotland, released "O Holy Night" as a digital download on November 21, 2012. The school donated 90 percent of proceeds from the song to the Meningitis Research Foundation in memory of a student who died of meningococcal septicaemia. The remaining 10 percent went to school funds. It reached on the UK Singles Chart.
*20172018: Lauren Daigle US 'Billboard' Christian adult contemporary, US Hot Christian Songs, and US Christian Airplay charts
References
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