"Silent Night" originated in the small village of Oberndorf, Austria, in 1818. The church's organ was not functional for Christmas Eve, prompting the assistant pastor, Joseph Mohr, to approach the schoolteacher and organist, Franz Xaver Gruber, to create a new carol with guitar accompaniment. Gruber composed the music, and together with Mohr's lyrics, they premiered "Silent Night" that very night.

Johannes Möller's theme and the variations are based on an autographed version from 1860 by Mr. Gruber. The first variations are composed in a romantic 19th century style, but as the piece progresses it reveals a more eclectic writing