The Dream of "Silent Night" was written for a collection, published in 1905, entitled Christmas: Moods and Pictures for Piano by Danish Composers. Of all the contributors to the book, Carl Nielsen was the only composer who chose to base his work on a well-known Christmas hymn.

This brief work is impressionistic in nature: though the first bar of "Silent Night" is presented at the very beginning, Nielsen's Dream of "Silent Night" then leaves it behind entirely and diffuses into nimble and often surprising arabesques, incorporating characteristically Nielsenesque fluctuations and syncopations before they coalesce into a gentle, shimmering conclusion. The tone is thoughtful rather than nostalgic or sentimental: the listener is reminded for only a moment of the famous hymn, and then is invited to step away into unfamiliar territory for the duration of the piece.

Nielsen was rather prone to procrastination—several of his works were finished just in the nick of time before a deadline or even before a premiere performance. It is interesting to note that the Dream of "Silent Night" is dated December 3, 1905. Considering that this was for a collection that was to be published in time for Christmas, one can only imagine that the printers were impatient for Nielsen's characteristically late submission!

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