It is here – Christmas Eve! The first time I listened to John Denver & The Muppets sing “Silent Night” from his CD “A Christmas Together” it was (and still is) among my favorites to hear him tell the story of how this beloved hymn came to be back on December 24, 1818. The 29 cent Madonna stamp showcased today is the 1993 Christmas Issue of the Traditional Christmas stamp that year – one which I attended at the North Carolina Museum of Art 10/21/93. And I have included a link from my blog post over the summer of the story about Christmas Eve at the Rainbow Bridge.
“The song was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 at St Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, a village in the Austrian Empire on the Salzach river in present-day Austria. A young priest, Father Joseph Mohr, had come to Oberndorf the year before. He had already written the lyrics of the song “Stille Nacht” in 1816 at Mariapfarr, the hometown of his father in the Salzburg Lungau region, where Joseph had worked as a coadjutor.
The melody was composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, schoolmaster and organist in the nearby village of Arnsdorf. Before Christmas Eve, Mohr brought the words to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the church service.[2] Both performed the carol during the mass on the night of December 24.”
John Denver Muppets Christmas – Silent Night live on TV
From the December 5, 1979 Christmas television special on ABC – “Stille Nacht/Silent Night” is what they sang at the end of the program with children in the audience joining them in song.
1993 Christmas Issue
Years before AnchoredScraps.com was ever imagined I attended the First Day of Issue, on October 21, 1993 at the North Carolina Museum of Art. The reason I can remember these kind of details is because its included in my first volume of my Christmas scrapbook album – complete with all my journaling and postcard from that day. According to the US Postal Museum referencing their September 30, 1993 Postal Bulletin “The Postal Service issued the 1993 Christmas stamps on October 12, 1993, in two different locations. The Traditional Christmas stamp, featuring a reproduction of “Madonna and Child,” was issued in Raleigh, North Carolina. The original painting, by Giovanni Battista Cima, is on display at the North Carolina Museum of Art. The Contemporary Christmas stamp was issued in New York, New York. The stamps feature a Jack-in-the-Box, a red-nosed Reindeer, a snowman, and a toy soldier blowing a horn.”
And here is the link from my August 11th story about a very special message of Christmas Eve at the Rainbow Bridge – The ABR Message Board Entry read: To All Our Pets At The Bridge “A Christmas Story
Closing today’s blog post with joy and anticipation on this Christmas Eve 2015,
Helen
Attribution & Thank you to the following who are referenced today —
Wikipedia: “Silent Night” & John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together If you have not participated yet – this week to continue their independence – the Wikimedia Foundation is having their fundraiser for donations.
U.S. Stamp #2789 – 1993 29c Christmas Madonna and Child from Mystic Stamp Company & US Postal Museum
AnchoredScraps.com blog post Remembering our pets knows no season (hanky alert) August 11, 2015 written by Helen Rittersporn
