In the winter 2024 edition of InterAction magazine, @actionforme asked NFGV's founder Jill Rakusen to write an article about the role of song in her life*, and to choose a seasonal song. We’ll be publishing the article in December, but in the meantime, here’s an extract of what Jill said about her chosen song – Silent Night. Followed by some other recordings that she recommends as they carry a soul quality.
"I chose Silent Night for several reasons: because of the profound nurturing restfulness it can engender, because of its history, and because it touches on something deeply universal.
By Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber, it was born in Austria out of immense suffering, after 12 gruelling years of war in Europe which ended in 1818. Almost a century later, near the beginning of World War I, a German officer began singing it on Christmas Eve, first in German, then in English, leading to 'enemy' soldiers joining in and sharing other carols.
Jill will also be sharing Silent Night online during the Christmas period, so if you would like to join her, do contact us at info@givingvoicefoundation.org.uk and we’ll be in touch |
Given our present-day wars, including, yet again, in Europe, and in the Middle East, ‘cradle’ of the world’s three Abrahamic religions, I feel it’s a song so needed now: not a saccharine version that can appear on the airwaves, rather a version that can be deeply held in the intimacy of our hearts, as we link with all who’ve suffered in the past, through to the present day.
I was moved to tears recently on coming across a video of some Muslim girls singing it in Arabic – in Beirut – in 2017.
I pray that they and their loved ones have found, and can continue to find, safety, and can take succour from it amidst the current ongoing destruction … And I trust that holding them in our awareness, and all who are suffering, will support them, and contribute to peace throughout the world as we connect with it deeply in our hearts."
Some other recordings that carry a soul quality
Sinead O’Connor’s simple, unadorned, uniquely idiosyncratic version.
The Halle Choir singing ‘remotely’ – each in their own homes during the Covid pandemic lockdown: a metaphor of how we can be separate yet together (in this case, because of the limitations of technology, we can’t make music with someone else over the internet because of the time-lag, so each voice is recorded separately and then ‘joined’ together afterwards via the wonders of said technology). This beautiful arrangement is by Darius Battiwala.
The King’s Singers’ live version in King’s College Chapel, sung in the original German, arranged beautifully by John Rutter, sung after lockdown, Christmas Eve 2021.
Another German version, sung by young people from Bundesgymnasium Rein, again in 2021. They manage to sing with smiley faces throughout – which offers much to the music and the entire experience. Always good to smile – whether singing silently or aloud. And indeed at any time we choose!
See our blogpost on Sound and Silence, where Jill and Sarah talk about Silent Singing. There’s also a chapter in Jill’s book about this.
More about the history of this song can be found in this video of a lecture and at the website of the now closed Silent Night Museum
*We’ll be putting up the article in December on here and on our Facebook page.
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