On the traces of Joseph Mohr

Joseph Mohr´s childhood

It was in 1792, on a bitter cold winter's day on the 11th of December, when Joseph Mohr was born as the illegitimate child of Anna Schober, a knitter from Hallein. His father was a soldier serving under Archbishop Colloredo in Salzburg. Since illegitimate children were not considered honourable at the time, he fled Salzburg and his young mother was on her own with a new-born. At first, the only support came from Joseph Wohlmuth, the last executioner in Salzburg, who sought to improve his bad reputation by acting as a godfather to illegitimate children. He fell slightly short of this self-imposed task, however, sending someone to stand in for him at the christenings. Together with his mother, his grandmother and his stepsiblings, Joseph Mohr grew up in a small, and due to its proximity to the Kapuzinerberg [mountain], damp flat at Steingasse number 31.

From gifted young man to priest

It was probably a twist of fate that Johann Nepomuk Hiernle, a vicar-choral Salzburg Cathedral became aware of the boy and recognised his great talents at an early age. He became a "surrogate father" to him, which allowed him to attend the Benedictine grammar school, which still lives up to its reputation as an excellent educational institution to this day. He continued his education, including at the Royal Bavarian Lyceum in Salzburg, before Mohr entered the seminary in 1811 to study theology. As someone born out of wedlock, this was anything but a matter of course at the time. The young man, who was just 19 years old, needed special permission from the church to do so. Only four years later, Joseph Mohr was ordained a priest. 
In addition to theology, his love in all those years was also music. Supported by his patron, Johann Hiernle, he was already involved in the choir of the University of Salzburg and the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter as a singer and violinist during his school years.

Inspired by the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary in Mariapfarr

In 1815, the young priest took up his first post in Mariapfarr in the Lungau region of Salzburg, where his father was from. And it was precisely there that the Christmas poem Silent Night. Holy Night. was written. In the pilgrimage church of Mariapfarr, which dates back to the 12th century, you can still admire the image of the "Schöne Madonna" with the Adoration of the Magi, which is believed to have served as its inspiration. But the harsh Lungau climate did not agree with Mohr and so only a year later he had himself transferred to the St. Nikola Church in Oberndorf as an assistant priest. This, as we know today, was a fortunate move, since this is where he met Franz Xaver Gruber, only a few years his senior, who was a village school teacher in nearby Arnsdorf and organist in the church of Oberndorf. The two young men quickly formed a friendship based on their shared love of music. It is therefore not surprising that shortly before Christmas 1818 Mohr asked his friend to write a suitable melody for his verses to Silent Night. Holy Night. Thus, after the Christmas mass in 1818, the now world-famous Christmas carol was performed for the first time, sung by Mohr with Gruber accompanying on the guitar. The rest is history...
By the way, the guitar still exists – it is exhibited in the Silent Night Museum in Hallein.

After his time in Oberndorf, Mohr led an unsteady life, but left behind formative impressions. He worked as a coadjutor in Anthering, Golling, Kuchl and Bad Vigaun before taking up his first post as vicar in Hintersee in 1827. He remained there for almost nine years. His last placement until his early death in 1848 was Wagrain.

Perhaps because of his own life story, Joseph Mohr was committed to the poor and needy in society throughout his life. Thus, on his initiative, a school was built in Wagrain, which was also open to children of destitute parents, and he campaigned for the establishment of a home for the poor and the elderly. In this sense, Mohr was a bringer of peace and his message of peace, set to music in Silent Night. Holy Night., is at least as valuable today as it was then.

The song “Silent Night”

• Read more about "Silent Night, Holy Night"