The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a large choir of The Church of Jesus Christ … Read Full Bio ↴The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a large choir of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons). Since July 15, 1929, the choir has performed a weekly radio broadcast called Music and the Spoken Word which is the longest-running continuous network broadcast in the world. The show has been televised since the early 1960s and is now broadcast worldwide through some 1,500 radio, television, and cable stations.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is made up of some 360 men and women, all of whom are volunteers. There are many husband-wife combinations and many families have participated in the choir for generations. Choir members are currently limited to twenty years of participation, allowing new members to join the choir on a regular basis.

The choir was founded in August 1847, one month after the Mormon Pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. The choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to support their organization. Choir members are not paid for their participation or performances.

Although the choir has traditionally been recognized for its sound quality, the most recent director, Craig Jessop, a student of Robert Shaw, has made changes designed to improve the overall quality of the choir. Jessop's efforts to add vitality to the choir's sound include the formation of The Orchestra at Temple Square, the 2005 addition of The Bells on Temple Square (a hand bell choir), and continual refinement of the choir's tone, enunciation, and repetoire. The minimum age for participation has been reduced from 30 to 25. In addition, new choir members participate in The Temple Square Chorale training choir, a combination music theory/performance school led by associate director and composer/arranger Mack Wilberg.

Silent Night
Mormon Tabernacle Choir Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Silent Night describe the scene at the birth of Jesus Christ. The first part of the song paints a peaceful picture of the Virgin Mary and her newborn son, as they sleep soundly. The second verse, however, comes to a sharp contrast as the shepherds who have come to visit are suddenly filled with awe and trembling at the sight of heavenly hosts singing Alleluia. This verse sets a tone of reverence and wonder as the shepherds come to realize that the Son of God has been born. Finally, the last verse describes Jesus as the "Son of God, love's pure light" whose radiant beams light up the world and offer the dawn of redeeming grace to all.

Line by Line Meaning

Silent night, holy night
A night of peaceful and sacred serenity

All is calm, all is bright
Everything is tranquil and illuminated

Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Mary caring for her newborn child

Holy Infant so tender and mild
The infant was pure, innocent, and gentle

Sleep in heavenly peace
The baby sleeps soundly under God's watchful eye

Shepherds quake at the sight
The shepherds were frightened by the holy sight

Glories stream from heaven afar
The angels were singing praises from the heavens

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Hosts of heaven are singing out with joy and reverence

Christ, the Saviour is born
The birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ, has come to pass

Son of God, love's pure light
Jesus is the Son of God, the embodiment of pure love and light

Radiant beams from Thy holy face
The divine light and love radiates from Jesus' holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus brings new hope to the world with His redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, our Lord, is born on this blessed day

Contributed by Aaliyah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

Fallon:

1y↑4

This is the most beautiful version of Silent Night I’ve ever heard. Brings tears to my eyes every time. I’m so grateful to my savior. I love him so much.

M Bulgakov

6y↑2

I can hear the stars twinkling in the cold, clear, calm winter sky in the accompaniment. Such a fragile, delicate piece. So well done. Merry Christmas.