Sung in German by Ernestine Schumann-Heink, this version of Silent Night is perhaps the most traditional of all three songs today for a number of reasons. First, the song itself is widely known and, even in German, is easily recognisable. Second is the singer herself.

Ernestine Schumann-Heink was born in Bavaria in 1861 during the time of the Austrian Empire. Bavaria. Bavaria! How traditional is that? Further, she was born to a father who was a cavalry officer and then a cobbler. A cobbler! Do you not get wonderfully romantic images of an old Bavarian town with chimneys billowing smoke and the sounds of blacksmiths and smells of heavy leather just thinking of it? I do.

Nice little story and history to go with that this week, makes the music all the better after reading that. Nice one man.