Thus is one of my favorite Christmas hymns and is also one that I discovered relatively late. It wasn't on any of the Christmas albums my mom had accumulated, nor in my Christmas music books or our church hymnal.

I don't remember exactly how old I was, but it was sometime in late elementary school when I first heard it. We were doing a Christmas program at the church and my Sunday School class was singing something. (I wasn't accompanying the singing - I was temporarily barred from the sanctuary piano for some indiscreet rock and roll.) Anyway, the son of family friends who was in junior high was going to do a solo of O Holy Night. I'd know him as long as I could remember and didn't even know he could sing - much less that he was a truly amazing tenor.

During the Saturday rehearsal I heard my friend and the song for the first time and was mesmerized. I promptly dung up the music and have been playing it ever since, (and wishing that I could sing!)

Reeves

O Holy Night was created using 3 Acoustic Grand Pianos, 1 Vibraphone, 1 Hammond Organ, 1 Pipe Organ, 2 String Ensembles 1 (Consisting of 2 Violins, 1 Viola, and 1 Cello), 1 Solo Tuba, 1 Piccolo, and 1 Flute.