Josef Mohr
Encyclopedia
Joseph Mohr, sometimes spelt Josef (December 11, 1792 – December 4, 1848) was an Austria
n Roman Catholic priest and composer
, who wrote the words to the Christmas carol
"Silent Night".
on December 11, 1792, to an unmarried embroiderer, Anna Schoiberin, and a mercenary soldier, Franz Mohr who deserted the army and Joseph's mother before the birth.
As his musical talent was not recognized, he found a sponsor to set him upon the path to higher education. As an illegitimate child he needed the Pope
's special permission to study for the priesthood and was ordained a priest in 1815. Rev. Mohr was sent to a pilgrim church in the remote Alpine village of Mariapfarr
, where in 1816 he wrote a six-stanza poem that was to become the world's most popular carol. Mohr was moved to Oberndorf
in 1817 to stay there for two years. When Franz Gruber agreed to compose a
in churches in the Salzburg Diocese and folk singers from the Ziller Valley were taking the song on tours around Europe.
Until 2006, it was thought that Mohr and Gruber had collaborated on just one song. Now another song has been located in the Wagrain parish archive by the Salzburg Diocesan Archives. "Te Deum" with text by Joseph Mohr and melody by Franz Xaver Gruber can be heard in an audio exhibit at the Waggerl Museum in Wagrain.
Mohr, a generous man who donated most of his salary to charity, was moved from place to place and finally became parish pastor in Wagrain
, where he founded a new school for children. He created a fund to allow children from poor families to attend school and he set up a system for the care of the elderly.
Father Mohr died of a pulmonary disease on December 4, 1848. The village school is named after him and his grave has been kept in a place of honor in the nearby churchyard cemetery. An outdoor exhibit detailing the life of Joseph Mohr is situated on the walkway between the church and the parish house where he once lived. In 2006, the town's Waggerl Museum set up a new permanent exhibit -- Joseph Mohr - Vicar of Wagrain.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n Roman Catholic priest and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, who wrote the words to the Christmas carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
"Silent Night".
Biography
Josef Franz Mohr was born in SalzburgSalzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
on December 11, 1792, to an unmarried embroiderer, Anna Schoiberin, and a mercenary soldier, Franz Mohr who deserted the army and Joseph's mother before the birth.
As his musical talent was not recognized, he found a sponsor to set him upon the path to higher education. As an illegitimate child he needed the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
's special permission to study for the priesthood and was ordained a priest in 1815. Rev. Mohr was sent to a pilgrim church in the remote Alpine village of Mariapfarr
Mariapfarr
Mariapfarr is a municipality in the district of Tamsweg in the state of Salzburg in Austria....
, where in 1816 he wrote a six-stanza poem that was to become the world's most popular carol. Mohr was moved to Oberndorf
Oberndorf
Oberndorf may refer to the following places:*in Germany:**Oberndorf am Neckar, in the district of Rottweil, Baden-Württemberg** Oberndorf , a suburb of Rottenburg am Neckar in the district of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg...
in 1817 to stay there for two years. When Franz Gruber agreed to compose a
in churches in the Salzburg Diocese and folk singers from the Ziller Valley were taking the song on tours around Europe.
Until 2006, it was thought that Mohr and Gruber had collaborated on just one song. Now another song has been located in the Wagrain parish archive by the Salzburg Diocesan Archives. "Te Deum" with text by Joseph Mohr and melody by Franz Xaver Gruber can be heard in an audio exhibit at the Waggerl Museum in Wagrain.
Mohr, a generous man who donated most of his salary to charity, was moved from place to place and finally became parish pastor in Wagrain
Wagrain
Wagrain is a market town in the St. Johann im Pongau District in the Austrian state of Salzburg. It is located in a high valley stretching from the Salzach at Sankt Johann in the west to the Enns river in the east. The municipality includes the Katastralgemeinden Hof, Hofmarkt, Schwaighof and...
, where he founded a new school for children. He created a fund to allow children from poor families to attend school and he set up a system for the care of the elderly.
Father Mohr died of a pulmonary disease on December 4, 1848. The village school is named after him and his grave has been kept in a place of honor in the nearby churchyard cemetery. An outdoor exhibit detailing the life of Joseph Mohr is situated on the walkway between the church and the parish house where he once lived. In 2006, the town's Waggerl Museum set up a new permanent exhibit -- Joseph Mohr - Vicar of Wagrain.