Andrea Bocelli Singing Magical A Capella of ‘Silent Night’ Inside a Cave

Is there anything more magical than Andrea Bocelli singing? How about Andrea Bocelli singing an a capella version of the classic Christmas hymn “Silent Night.” Only one thing could make this more magical: Bocelli singing said hymn in a gorgeous ancient cave. The legendary opera singer and tenor recently did just that. He sang the beautiful old hymn in the Frasassi Caves in Italy. He was wearing a tux as he belted out “Silent Night” as only Bocelli can: like the complete and total boss that he is. Although he was blinded when he was 12 years old, Bocelli has opened the hearts and eyes of fans all over the world.

In this performance, Bocelli looks perfectly immaculate as he is surrounded by the majestic beauty of caves that are as old as time. In the song, he sings about the virgin birth that happened more than 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem. Composed by Franz Xaver Gruber in 1818, “Silent Night” is one of the most popular Christmas carols in the world. In fact, in 2011, UNESCO declared the song an intangible cultural heritage. The version sung by American singer Bing Crosby has sold 10 million copies since Crosby recorded it in 1935.

The site of Silent Night chapel, image via YouTube

It was composed by Gruber, but the lyrics were written in a small town named Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria by Father Joseph Mohr. The first performance of the song was at a small church in Oberndorf on Christmas Eve in 1818. Mohr was a young Catholic priest who had come to the church the year previous in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. He wrote the poem in 1816. It was in 1818 that he asked Gruber to compose a guitar and melody accompaniment for the mass that would be performed that very night, Christmas Eve. The church organ had been damaged by water.

Andrea Bocelli singing Silent Night in a cave
YouTube

For a poem that was written and a song that was composed in less than a day, “Silent Night” has certainly endured. Watch Andrea Bocelli do it justice below.

Pure magic.