O Holy Night

O Holy Night was written by a Frenchman named Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure in 1847. Placide was the commisionaire of wines in his small town and was known for writing poetry. Although he was not a regular at church, his parish priest asked him to write a poem for that year's Christmas mass. Cappeau was honored and soon completed his poem, "Cantique de Noel".

However, after the inspiration of writing his poem based upon the Gospel of Luke's account of Christ's birth, Cappeau decided to that his poem was worthy as a song as well. He asked his friend Adolphe Charles Adams, who had written scores for both opera and ballet, to assist in writing the music. The completed song was presented to the priest and parish and received wholehearted acceptance. Soon, it became widely known throughout churches in France.

Years later, though, Cappeau left the church to join the socialist movement. Around the same time, news that Cappeau's friend, Adolphe, was a Jew found its way to the Church and "Cantique de Noel" was suddenly deemed inappropriate, unfit for service and banned from the Church altogether. Although it was no longer welcomed in church services, however, the people of France still sang the Christmas song in their homes and saved it from obscurity.

Then, in the mid-1800's, a Unitarian minister named John Sullivan Dwight found and translated "Cantique de Noel" into English. Dwight had left the ministry because of severe anxiety and panic attacks. He became reclusive but continued to serve musicians by finding new musical pieces and reviewing them in a journal he privately published. Falling in love with the lyrics of "O Holy Night" as he translated it, Dwight published the lyrics in his journal and in several songbooks and the carol took off in America.

The last marvelous part of the story occurs in 1906 when a former chief chemist for Thomas Edison made the first voice radio transmission. Inspired by the Morse code transmissions of Marconi, Fessenden was determined to speak words to the world, not merely dots and dashes. On Christmas Eve of 1906, Fessenden achieved his goal and the first words were spoken through 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..." He read from the Gospel of Luke as amazed radio operators listened to the story of Christ's birth! And afterwards, Fendesson picked up his violin and played the first song heard on radio: "O Holy Night"! The broadcast ended and one of the world's favorite Christmas songs took flight!