This Day in Christian History: December 24 December 24, 1818: The beloved hymn "Stille Nacht," or Silent Night was sung for the first time. Franz Gruber On December 5 , we mentioned Joseph Mohr, who was the composer of the lyrics to "Stille Nacht". Today, we're exploring how this hymn came to be.  Joseph Mohr and his friend Franz Xaver Gruber were in need of a new Christmas Carol for their Christmas Eve midnight mass. On Christmas Eve, with the midnight mass only hours away, Joseph brought a poem that he'd written some time earlier to show Franz, who also was the organist and choir master at the church, in hopes that he might be able to set the poem to music. Franz did compose the melody, in only a few hours, and the song was performed for the very first time that night. The song has gone on to become on of the most beloved Christmas Carols of all time and has been translated into about 140 languages. The lyrics to this song still touch our ...