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STILLE NACHT
When "Silent Night" first became famous in Europe, the lyricist was dead and the composer was unknown. Even though Franz Gruber wrote to music authorities in Berlin, it was thought, during various periods, to have been potentially written by Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven. The director of the Royal Court Choir of Berlin, knowing that the carol was a favorite of King Friedrichc Wilhelm IV of Prussia, researched it in 1854. He wrote to the choir director of the Benedictine school in Salzburg, asking for a copy of "Silent Night" by Michael Haydn, brother of Franz Joseph Haydn. The choir director asked a student to find a copy. The student was Felix Gruber, Franz Gruber’s son and so Gruber was identified as the composer.
A manuscript written by Joseph Mohr was found recently, which proved definitively that STILLE NACHT was written by Franz Gruber. Authenticated that it was written by Mohr, it states "Melodie von Fr. Xav. Gruber."
The original guitar score written by Gruber is not in existence, however he produced a number of orchestral arrangements. There are five Gruber manuscripts that still exist. The manuscript by Mohr, circa 1820, is for guitar accompaniment and is likely closest to the arrangement performed by the two on Christmas Eve, 1818.