Do you Hear what I Hear

Do you Hear what I Hear -Many people mistakenly assume this Christmas classic has been around for years and that it is of European origin. But it was written in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis as a powerful plea for peace by a man who had experienced the horrors of war. The song’s message of peace is as desperately needed today as it was then. A brilliant musical career seemed assured for the French-born Noel Regney. He had studied at Strasbourg Conservatory and at the Conservatoire National de Paris.Then came the Second World War, when France was overwhelmed by Hitler’s German troops. Much against Regney’s will, he was drafted into the German army. He hated the Nazis who occupied the land where he was born. So, while still in the German army, Regney became a member of the French underground. His assignments required him to remain in a German uniform. He collected information and, when possible, warned French resistance fighters of attacks the Germans were planning against them. One mission would continue to haunt Noel Regney: He was assigned the task of leading a group of German soldiers into a trap where the French fighters could catch them in a crossfire. Although Regney was shot that day, he survived. The French suffered only minor injuries. But the memory of the enemy soldiers falling to the ground, most of them dead, was etched in Noel Regney’s mind. He never commented publicly on what took place that terrifying day. It has been said that he was intentionally wounded by the French to protect him from the Germans, in the belief that his injury would indicate he had no knowledge of the trap that had been set for the enemy. Not long after this encounter, Regney deserted the German army and lived underground with the French for the rest of the war. “Only then did I feel free, ” he once observed.In the late ’50s, Noel Regney married pianist Gloria Shayne after knowing her for only a few weeks. Their daughter, Gabrielle Regney, says about her mother, “She’s an extraordinary pianist and composer who has perfect pitch. “ Gloria wrote many popular songs recorded by well-known singers, including “Goodbye Cruel World ” (James Darren’s recording peaked at number three on the Billboard charts) and “The Men in My Little Girl’s Life ” (recorded by Mike Douglas). She collaborated with Jack Keller on “Almost There