Silent Night ✧
A quiet carol with long notes, gentle dotted phrases, and room to breathe.
Sheet music
Tap a staff note or finger tab to hear it.
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D whistle · D major · 3/4 · 70 BPM · + upper octave
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Lyrics
Joseph Mohr · English translation by John Freeman Young (1859)
The familiar three-verse English version; the original German carol has six stanzas.
Silent night! Holy night! All is calm, all is bright Round yon virgin mother and child! Holy infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night! Holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight! Glories stream from heaven afar, Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia, Christ, the Saviour, is born! Christ, the Saviour, is born!
Silent night! Holy night! Son of God, love’s pure light Radiant beams from Thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth! Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!
About this tune
Silent Night, known in German as Stille Nacht, was first performed in Oberndorf, Austria, on Christmas Eve in 1818. Franz Xaver Gruber set Joseph Mohr’s words to music for voices and guitar. The carol centers on the quiet of the Nativity scene.
The repeated opening and long, gentle cadences give the melody a lullaby-like character. Its calm movement supports an intimate delivery, whether sung by one voice or a choir.
Performances
Watch musicians play this tune on tin whistle. Keys and arrangements may differ from the tabs above.
Silent Night on tin whistle
CutiePie
A whistle performance with fingering tabs; opens at the Silent Night section.
Watch on YouTube — Silent Night on tin whistle by CutiePie (opens in a new tab) ↗