Albums by Franz Xaver Gruber
ALBUMNutcracker Christmas Harp (A Wonderful Calm, Peaceful and Relaxing Christmas Harp Music for the Holidays)Christmas Harp
ALBUMSingt und klingt! (Weihnachten im Gewandhaus)GewandhausKinderchor, GewandhausJugendchor & GewandhausChor
ALBUMRutter: Orchestral Carols (Bonus Track Edition)Daniel Hyde, The Choir of King's College, Cambridge & Britten Sinfonia
Franz Xaver Gruber's Popular Music Videos
Artist Biography
When the Austrian composer Franz Xaver Gruber was born the son of an impoverished weaver in 1787, he was destined to become known for one work. His setting of “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”) was written in haste on Christmas Eve 1818 and first performed later that day at the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, near Salzburg, where he was choirmaster and organist. While legend contends that its swift creation and guitar accompaniment were the smart response to a last-minute problem with the St. Nikolaus organ, scholars have discovered that the instrument was in good condition. Whatever the impulse for Gruber’s Christmas song, its outcome has radiated around the world and been covered by the most famous popular singers in history, including Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis Presley, and Dolly Parton. His prolific output as a composer includes another delightful Christmas song, “Welch ein Jubelton,” a German Te Deum, and a Mass in honor of the patron saint of music, St. Cecilia. Before his death in 1863, he ended his career as choirmaster of the parish church in Hallein, home today to the Silent Night Museum.
Hometown
Austria
Genre
Classical