Comments by "Big Blue" (@bigblue6917) on "Silent Night, history of the world's favorite Christmas carol" video.

  1. Well that's cleared up many misconceptions about this song. I had not realised how old it was nor the fact that two people were involved. From the version I had come across, with the mouse, it was the Joseph Mohr who wrote both the music and the lyrics as well as playing the guitar. And that the music and lyrics were written on Christmas Eve. And in the version of the carol I had heard about, when the Germans sang the carol in 1914 the British had known the carol but in English and some of whom had joined in. This part may have been true to some degree as many Germans had settled in Britain before the war. So it was possible that they had shared it with British friends. There is at least one story of British soldiers talking to a German speaking English with a East London cockney accent. He has been raised in London but had gone to fight for Germany at the behest of his German parents. Another song which gained popularity during WW1 was It's a Long Way to Tipperary by Jack Judge. Judge, songwriter and music-hall entertainer, was supposed to have written the song in a very short period of time, some ten or so minutes I seem to remember, as part of a five shilling bet. But others, including members of his family, have disputed this. Though is may be the five shilling bet is a myth there is always the possibility Judge actually did write it on the spare of the moment as part of a bet. There is another possibility and that is he already had the song but managed to persuade someone to bet against him. The bet was he could write a song in some ten minutes or so. He wonders off, supposedly writes the song and get his five shillings. Then sings it the following night at The Grand Theatre", Stalybridge, Cheshire, performs the song. Nice bit of PR and he enhances his reputation as a songwriter. The song itself became popular when a newspaper reporter wrote that it was being sung by the Irish regiment the Connaught Rangers while marching through France in August of 1914. It was then quickly picked up by other British regiments.
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