Silent Night
Music: Franz Grüber; Text: Joseph Mohr
trans. John F. Young
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg
In 2003, Pete and Judy Duelo of Minneapolis lost their son Nick in a tragic car accident. Nick was a senior at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and had been an enthusiastic participant in the choral program there, so his family decided to honor his memory by commissioning a new arrangement of a choral piece. Mack Wilberg was chosen for the commission, and his crystalline arrangement of “Silent Night” was premiered at the 2006 “Christmas at Luther” concert.
The shimmering orchestration and hushed choral writing touched the audience deeply during the candle-lit performance. Wilberg had already programmed this arrangement of “Silent Night” for The Tabernacle Choir’s Christmas Concert when, just a month before the concert (and quite by coincidence), he almost literally bumped into the Duelos at a choir convention in Minneapolis. It was the first time they had met in person, and the chance encounter prompted Wilberg to invite the Duelos to Salt Lake City to hear the work they commissioned in their son’s memory performed by The Tabernacle Choir—an invitation they gladly accepted. As the Duelos had hoped, this beautiful arrangement of “Silent Night” will now continue to reach and touch millions around the world.
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