The oldest existing copy of the 19th Century Christmas carol Silent Night may have been found in an antiques shop in Vienna, according to The Telegraph. The president of the Silent Night Society, Michael Neuriter, believes it is the oldest because of the printer, Joseph Greis.

Front page of booklet containing Stille Nacht

The Christmas carol was written by Joseph Mohr in 1818 and was printed in a booklet titled Four Beautiful New Christmas Songs, printed by Greis. Neuriter concluded that the copy is the oldest because Greis owned a printing shop in the early 1800s before he opened a bookstore, which he operated until his death in 1835.

“This is a very significant discovery,” Neuriter told The Telegraph. “I was approached by an antiques dealer who had found it last June, and from there it went to the University of Vienna where it was shown to the experts,” he said. “We believe it was printed by Joseph Greis, who ran a publishing house in Steyr … he died in 1835.”

The oldest known copy, until now, was a version with text and accompanying music printed in Dresden in 1833.

Silent Night – possibly oldest copy

Silent Night, or Stille Nacht! in German, was translated into English in 1859. The Silent Night Society will hold a 200-year anniversary celebration honoring the carol in 2018.

In honor of the discovery, and as small taste of the season to come, enjoy the classic carol as it was originally written: