O Holy Night

This is a re-post from 2009.  I sent an email to Augsburg Fortress press about "O Holy Night" and this was their response.  On a side note, last Christmas eve I posted the words in the bulletin and we sang "O Holy Night" and I must say it was sung on par with Silent Night and Joy To The World.  I will plan on it again this year.

Here is the re-post from 2009.  For those wondering why "O Holy Night" is not included in Lutheran Hymnals, I received the following answer from Augsburg Fortress Press. Sounds good, but considering some of the hymns that are in Lutheran hymnals, particularly some of the liturgy's, I am not sure I buy it. What are your thoughts?

Thanks for contacting us. The reason O Holy Night is omitted from most denominational hymnals is musical and not theological. The piece has a rather wide melodic range, including the very high and sustained note on “divine” toward the end. Such high sustained singing and wide range make the piece very lovely indeed, but really not very well suited to congregational singing. Most hymns have a range of not much more than an octave and the best hymns also keep rhythms fairly simple as well. This makes learning the hymns easier for the average person in the assembly and means that more people join in the singing of new hymns sooner. In the case of O Holy Night, which is a famous work, familiarity is not really the issue, rather the issue is that the range from highest to lowest note is simply too wide, and the high notes need to be held too long, to lend itself well to comfortable congregational singing.

Thanks again for the email. If you have other questions do not hesitate to contact us.

Yours,

Michael Moore | Customer Care Permissions Administrator