O Holy Night

"O Holy Night" (original title: Cantique de Noël) is a sacred song associated with the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The text is based on the 1847 French poem Minuit, chrétiens by Placide Cappeau, which was set to music by composer Adolphe Adam. The widely known English version was written by John Sullivan Dwight, who made notable changes to the original French meaning.

The carol has since become a standard part of Christmas repertoire and has been recorded by numerous artists.

"O Holy Night" originates from Cappeau's poem Minuit, chrétiens, written in 1847.^[1] After stained glass in his local church in Roquemaure was restored, the parish priest Maurice Gilles asked Cappeau to write a new text for the upcoming Christmas Midnight Mass.^[2][3] Cappeau, who had connections to singer Emily Laurey, was introduced to Adam, then a prominent opera composer known for Giselle.^[4]

Cappeau wrote the poem on 3 December 1847 during a stagecoach journey from Mâcon to Dijon.^[4][5] His understanding of Christian theology came from Jesuit teachers at the Collège de France.^[2] The poem reflects themes from the Nativity of Jesus and expresses Cappeau's social and abolitionist convictions. Its opening line, which later drew criticism, reads: "Midnight, Christians! It is the solemn hour when the Man-God descended unto us, to erase original sin, and to stop the wrath of his Father."^[2]

Adam completed the musical setting within days.^[6] Cappeau referred to the finished work as "Cantique de Noël".^[5]

The most familiar English adaptation was written in 1855 by American critic and minister John Sullivan Dwight.^[1] Dwight, influenced by Ralph Waldo Emerson, altered the French text more extensively than required for a direct translation.^[5][7] For example, "O hear the angel voices [...] O night divine" replaced "Await your deliverance [...] Behold the Redeemer".^[7] Another English version, "O Night Divine", was produced by American musician Hart Pease Danks in the late 19th century, and both translations circulated widely.^[2]

"Cantique de Noël" was first performed at Midnight Mass in 1847 in Roquemaure. According to Christmas carol historian William Studwell, the piece was translated into numerous languages and widely adapted "within a generation or so". One of the earliest known publications was an organ arrangement issued around 1855.^[4] By 1864 the song had become popular throughout France; the Catholic music journal Revue de Musique Sacrée noted that it "has been performed at many churches during Midnight Masses" and "is sung in the streets, at social gatherings, and at bars with live entertainment."

Following the revolution of 1848,^[2] the French poet Alphonse de Lamartine praised "Cantique de Noël" as "a religious Marseillaise",^[8] a comparison that caused unease among some observers. According to America magazine, several church leaders criticised the song for what they viewed as its militant tone and questionable theology. They objected in particular to the line "Et de son Père arrêter le courroux" ("to cease the wrath of his Father"), believing it portrayed God as angry and vengeful in contrast to Jesus. As a result, the song was excluded from Catholic hymnals.

Much of the criticism, however, focused on the song's creators. Catholic music critics attacked Cappeau for his political views and personal reputation, and his later break with Christianity drew further disapproval.^[4] Adam was also targeted when false rumours circulated that he was Jewish. A notable example occurred in 1930, when composer Vincent d'Indy published an article incorrectly listing Adam among Jewish composers and claiming they were motivated solely by financial gain, in contrast to the article's subject, Richard Wagner.^[2]

In 1864 Revue de Musique Sacrée described "Cantique de Noël" as "debased and degenerated", recommending that it "go its own way, far from houses of religion, which can do very well without it".^[2] Despite this, the song's international popularity continued to grow. The Canadian composer and folklorist Ernest Gagnon first heard it at a Midnight Mass at the Church of Saint-Roch and introduced it to Canada in 1858, beginning with a performance in Quebec by the eldest daughter of René-Édouard Caron.^[9] Although some ecclesiastical concerns arose there as well, the song became widely embraced, and performances by soloists at Midnight Mass became a tradition.^[2]

On 22 September 1936, archbishop Joseph-Guillaume-Laurent Forbes banned "O Holy Night" from churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa, along with various other songs, wedding marches, the Canadian national anthem, and many settings of Ave Maria by composers including Franz Schubert, Charles Gounod, Pietro Mascagni, and Jules Massenet.^[10] Forbes' secretary stated that the ban aimed to promote the exclusive use of Gregorian chant and Gregorian music.^[10]

In the United States, John Sullivan Dwight encountered "O Holy Night" while reviewing music for his publication Dwight's Journal of Music. As an abolitionist, he admired the song's emphasis on human equality, quoting lines such as: "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!" These themes resonated strongly during the American Civil War, and Dwight's publication helped the song gain significant popularity in the North.^[3]

Although not formally documented, the first song broadcast over radio is often attributed to inventor Reginald Fessenden's 1906 violin performance of "O Holy Night".^[11]

In France, criticism of the song persisted after World War II. Composer Auguste Sérieyx condemned those who performed it on organ or in choirs, as well as the priests who "tolerate or encourage them". By 1956 the song had been "expunged from many dioceses due to the emphatic aspect of its lyrics as much as the music itself, and the contrast they provide with the holiday liturgy", according to the Paris publication Le Dictionnaire du Foyer Catholique.^[2]

Since its creation, the song has been associated with various accounts of spiritual or symbolic use. One legend claims that French troops sang it on Christmas Eve in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War, prompting a temporary ceasefire during trench warfare. In 2004 a Catholic priest reportedly sang the song to a dying American Marine in Fallujah, Iraq.^[2]

William Studwell stated in his book The Christmas Carol Reader that "O Holy Night" is "the most popular carol in France and belongs in the upper echelon of carols on an international basis."^[4] It is common tradition in French and Canadian culture to have a solo performance at Midnight Mass. Its difficult higher registers result in anticipation that its wide range of notes be sung on pitch.^[2][12][9]

In recent history the song has been covered in a variety of Christmas album collections, across a range of genres and song styles. Popular covers of the song include renditions by Michael Crawford, Mariah Carey, NSYNC, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Weezer, Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Ella Fitzgerald, Carrie Underwood, and Andrea Bocelli. In a 2010 survey conducted by Zogby International, "O Holy Night" was ranked as the most popular Christmas song, ahead of "White Christmas" and "The Christmas Song".^[13]

The song has been recorded by many pop, classical, and religious artists, and several versions have appeared on music charts:

• 1958: Johnny Mathis reached No. 3 on the Billboard Pop LPs chart with his studio album Merry Christmas.
• 1994: Mariah Carey's version, from her album Merry Christmas, reached No. 70 on the US Billboard Holiday 100 chart.^[14] It was re-released as a single in 1996 and 2000, and a live re-recording appears on her 2010 album Merry Christmas II You. In 2023 it was certified platinum by the RIAA for over one million units sold.^[15] It also reached No. 28 in Italy, where it was certified gold,^[16] and peaked at number 19 in Iceland.^[17]
• 1996: John Berry reached No. 55 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.^[18]
• 1996: Trans-Siberian Orchestra recorded a medley with "O Come, All Ye Faithful" for Christmas Eve and Other Stories. In 2021 it peaked at No. 3 on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart,^[19] and in 2023 it reached No. 2 on the Christian Digital Song Sales,^[20] No. 11 on Rock Digital Song Sales,^[21] and No. 23 on the Holiday Digital Song Sales chart.^[22]
• 1997: Martina McBride reached No. 74 on the Hot Country Songs chart, later reappearing at No. 67 (1998), No. 49 (1999), No. 57 (2000), and No. 41 (2001).^[23]
• 1998: Celine Dion reached No. 44 on the Billboard Holiday chart.^[24] In 2014, Nielsen SoundScan reported US sales of 240,000 copies.^[25]
• 2002: Josh Groban reached No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.^[26]
• 2006: Josh Gracin reached No. 59 on the Hot Country Songs chart.^[27]
• 2010: The Glee cast reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Holiday Digital Song Sales chart.^[28]
• 2012: Ladywell Primary School in Motherwell released a digital version on 21 November 2012, donating 90% of proceeds to the Meningitis Research Foundation in memory of a student who died of meningococcal septicaemia.^[29] It reached No. 39 on the UK singles chart.^[30]
• 2017: Lauren Daigle reached No. 14 on the US Billboard Christian adult contemporary chart,^[31] No. 33 on Hot Christian Songs,^[32] and No. 33 on Christian Airplay.^[33]

• List of Christmas carols

•  French Wikisource has original text related to this article: Minuit chrétiens
• "Cantique de Noël": Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Free sheet music for voice and piano at Cantorion.org
• Sheet music and musical details at Artsong Central
• "Minuit Chrétien" on YouTube, Charles Jauquier (original French version)