Nine Lessons and Carols

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The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a format for a service of Christian worship celebrating the birth of Jesus which is traditionally followed at Christmas. The story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus is told in nine short Bible readings, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols and hymns.

The format was based on an Order drawn up by Edward White Benson, later Archbishop of Canterbury, for Christmas Eve (24 December) 1880 in Truro, Cornwall. It has since been adapted and used by other churches all over the world. In the UK, the service has become the standard format for schools' Christmas carol services.

The best-known version is broadcast annually from King's College, Cambridge, on Christmas Eve. It features carols by the famous Choir of King's College, Cambridge.

Lessons and Carols most often occur in Anglican churches, and in some Roman Catholic and Lutheran parishes and institutions. However numerous Christian churches have adopted this service, or a variation on this service, as part of their Christmas celebrations.

Contents 1 Service at King's College, Cambridge 1.1 Order of service 1.2 Commissioned carols and organ postludes 1.3 Attendance of the service in person 2 See also 3 Notes 4 Further reading 5 External links

[edit] Service at King's College, Cambridge

The first Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge, was held on Christmas Eve in 1918. It was conceived by Eric Milner-White, the Dean of the College, whose experience as an army chaplain had led him to believe that more imaginative worship was needed by the Church of England. The order of service was adapted from an order drawn up by Edward White Benson, who would later become Archbishop of Canterbury, for use at a 10 pm service on Christmas Eve in 1880 that took place in a temporary wooden shed serving as his cathedral in Truro, Cornwall.^[1] Based on an idea of the future Bishop of Edinburgh, George Henry Somerset Walpole,^[2] the purpose of the service was to keep men out of pubs on Christmas Eve.^[3]

The music at the first service at King's was directed by Arthur Henry Mann, who was the organist from 1876 to 1929. The choir had 16 trebles as specified in statutes laid down by Henry VI, and until 1927 the men's voices were provided by choral scholars and lay clerks. Today, 14 undergraduates from the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, sing the men's parts.^[2]

The service was first broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1928 and, except for 1930, has been broadcast every year since, even throughout World War II despite the stained glass having been removed from the Chapel and the lack of heating. For security reasons, the name "King's" was not mentioned during wartime broadcasts.^[2] During the 1930s the BBC began broadcasting the service on its overseas programmes, and it is estimated that each year there are millions of listeners worldwide who listen to it live on the BBC World Service. Domestically, the service is broadcast live on BBC Radio 4, and a recorded broadcast is made on Christmas Day on BBC Radio 3.^[2] In the USA since 1979, the broadcast has been heard live on public radio stations affiliated with American Public Media, and most stations broadcast a repeat on Christmas Day. From 1963, the service was periodically filmed for television broadcast in the UK.^[4] Presently each year, a programme entitled Carols from King's which is pre-recorded in early or mid-December is shown on Christmas Eve in the UK on BBC Two and BBC Four. The programme is weighted more heavily in favour of carols sung by the choir, with only seven readings in total, not all of which are from the Bible.

[edit] Order of service

The format of the first Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols did not differ substantially from the one known today. The order of the lessons was revised in 1919, and since that time the service has always begun with the hymn "Once in Royal David's City".^[2] These days the first verse is sung unaccompanied by a solo boy chorister. To avoid putting him under undue stress, the chorister is not told that he will be singing the solo until just before the service is to begin.^[5]

The Nine Lessons, which are the same every year, are read by representatives of the college and of the City of Cambridge from the 1611 Authorized King James Version of the Bible in the following order: a chorister, a choral scholar, a representative of Cambridge churches, a representative of the City of Cambridge, a representative of King's College's sister college at Eton, the Chaplain, the Director of Music, a fellow of the College, and the Provost of the College. The singing is divided into "carols" which are sung by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, and "hymns" sung by the Choir and congregation. Since 1982 the current Director of Music, Stephen Cleobury, has commissioned a new carol each year on behalf of the College for the Choir. The carols vary from year to year, although some music is repeated. The service ends with the hymn "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing". The following is from the service in 2008.^[6]

• Organ Preludes

• Processional Hymn: "Once in Royal David's City" – words by Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander; melody by H.J. Gauntlett, harmonized by H.J. Gauntlett and A.H. Mann; descant by Stephen Cleobury.

• Bidding Prayer

• Carol: "If Ye would Hear the Angels Sing" – words by D. Greenwell; music by P. Tranchell

• First Lesson from Genesis 3: 8–15; 17–19

• Carol: "Remember, O Thou Man" – words, 16th century; music by Thomas Ravenscroft
• Carol: "Adam Lay Ybounden" – words, 15th century; music by Boris Ord

• Second Lesson from Genesis 22: 15–18

• Carol: "Angels from the Realms of Glory" – words by James Montgomery; music, old French tune arranged by Philip S. Ledger
• Carol: "In Dulci Jubilo" – words, 14th century German; music by Hieronymus Praetorius

• Third Lesson from Isaiah 9: 2; 6–7

• Carol: "Nowell Sing We Now All and Some" – words and music medieval, edited by John Stevens
• Hymn: "Unto Us is Born a Son" – words, 15th century Latin, translated by G.R. Woodward; music from Piae Cantiones arranged by David V. Willcocks

• Fourth Lesson from Isaiah 11: 1–3a; 4a; 6–9

• Carol: "The Lamb" – words by William Blake; music by John Tavener
• Carol: "A Spotless Rose is Blowing" – words, 15th century German, translated by C. Winkworth; music by Philip S. Ledger

• Fifth Lesson from the Gospel of Luke 1: 26–35; 38

• Carol: "I Sing of a Maiden" – words, 15th century; music by Lennox Berkeley
• Carol: "The Night when She First Gave Birth" ("Mary") – words by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Michael Hamburger; music by Dominic Muldowney

• Sixth Lesson from Luke 2: 1; 3–7

• Carol: "Sweet Baby, Sleep! What Ails My Dear?" ("Wither's Rocking Hymn)" – words by George Wither; music by Ralph Vaughan Williams
• Carol: "What Sweeter Music can We Bring" – words by Robert Herrick; music by John Rutter

• Seventh Lesson from Luke 2: 8–16

• Carol: "Infant Holy, Infant Lowly" – words, Polish traditional, translated by Edith M.G. Reed; music arranged by Stephen Cleobury
• Hymn: "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" – English traditional; arranged by David V. Willcocks

• Eighth Lesson from the Gospel of Matthew 2: 1–12

• Carol: "Illuminare Jerusalem" – words adapted from the Bannatyne manuscript in John and Winifred MacQueen, A Choice of Scottish Verse, 1470–1570 (1972); music by Judith Weir
• Carol: "Glory, Alleluia to the Christ Child" – words, 17th century; music by A. Bullard

• Ninth Lesson from the Gospel of John 1: 1–14

• Hymn: "O Come, All Ye Faithful" ("Adeste Fideles") – words, 18th century Latin, translated by Frederick Oakeley; melody by John Francis Wade, arranged by Stephen Cleobury

• Collect and Blessing

• Hymn: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" – words by Charles Wesley and George Whitefield; music by Felix Mendelssohn; descant by Stephen Cleobury

• Organ Voluntaries: "In Dulci Jubilo" (BWV 729) by Johann Sebastian Bach, "Dieu Parmi Nous" by Olivier Messiaen
• Organ Postlude

[edit] Commissioned carols and organ postludes

Year	Titles	Authors
1983	In Wintertime[citation needed] (When Thou wast born in wintertime)	Words: Betty Askwith Music: Lennox Berkeley
1984	One Star, at Last[citation needed] (Fix on one star)	Words: George Mackay Brown Music: Peter Maxwell Davies
1985	Illuminare Jerusalem[7]	Words: adapted from the Bannatyne manuscript in John MacQueen; Winifred MacQueen (1972), A Choice of Scottish Verse, 1470–1570, London: Faber and Faber, ISBN 0571095321 . Music: Judith Weir
1986	Nowel, Nowel, Holly Dark[citation needed]	Words: Walter de la Mare Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
1987	What Sweeter Music Can We Bring[8]	Words: Robert Herrick Music: John Rutter
1988	The Birthday of thy King[citation needed] (Awake, glad heart, get up, and sing!)	Words: After Henry Vaughan Music: Peter Sculthorpe
1989	Carol of St. Steven[citation needed]	Words: Adapted from W. Sandys' Christmas Carols Music: Alexander Goehr
1990	Богородиџе Дево радуйся, Благодатная Марие, Господь с Тобою[9] (Rejoice, O Virgin Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee)	Words: the Orthodox Liturgy (in Russian) Music: Arvo Pärt
1991	A Gathering[citation needed]	Words: Lancelot Andrewes Music: John Casken
1992	Swetë Jesu[citation needed]	Words: Anonymous, 13th Century Music: Nicholas Maw
1993	Christo Paremus Cantica[citation needed]	Words: Anonymous, 15th Century Music: Diana Burrell
1994	The Angels[citation needed] (Should you hear them singing among stars)	Words: John V. Taylor Music: Jonathan Harvey
1995	Seinte Marie Moder Milde[citation needed]	Words: From a 13th-century manuscript in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge Music: James MacMillan
1996	Pilgrim Jesus[citation needed] (Iesus! Christus! In the manger of my body)	Words: Kevin Crossley-Holland Music: Stephen Paulus
1997	The Fayrfax Carol[10]	Words: Early Tudor, anonymous Music: Thomas Adès
1998	Winter Solstice Carol[11]	English words and music: Giles Swayne Latin words: Magnificat antiphon for Christmas Day
1999	On Christmas Day to My Heart[12]	Words: Clement Paman Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
2000	The Three Kings[13]	Words: The Three Kings (1916) by Dorothy L. Sayers Music: Jonathan Dove
2001	Spring in Winter[7]	Words: C. Smart, from Hymn &c: The Nativity of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Music: John Woolrich
2002	The Angel Gabriel Descended to a Virgin[14]	Words: 15th–17th century Music: Robin Holloway
2003	The Gleam[15] (Not yet shepherds the gilded kings)	Words: Stephen Plaice Music: Harrison Birtwistle
2004	God would be born in thee[16][17] (Lo, in the Silent Night a Child in God is Born)	Words: Angelus Silesius Music: Judith Bingham
2005	Carol: Away in a Manger[8]	Words: 19th century Music: John Tavener
	Organ postlude: Improvisation on "Adeste Fideles"[8]	Francis Pott
2006	Carol: Misere' Nobis[18] (Jesu of a Maiden Thou wast Born)	Words: a version of a medieval English carol Music: Mark-Anthony Turnage
	Organ postlude: Recessional on "In the Bleak Midwinter"[18]	Lionel Steuart Fothringham
2007	Carol: Noël (Now comes the dawn)[9] (Stardust and vaporous light)	Words: Richard Watson Gilder Music: Brett Dean
	Organ postlude: Sortie on "In Dulci Jubilo"[9]	David Briggs
2008	Mary (The Night when She First Gave Birth)[6]	Words: Bertolt Brecht, translated by Michael Hamburger Music: Dominic Muldowney
2009	[Not announced yet]	Music: Gabriel Jackson[19]

[edit] Attendance of the service in person

The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols held on Christmas Eve at King's College Chapel is primarily intended for the City of Cambridge and members of the general public.^[20] There are about 650 seats in the Chapel for the service, most of which are in the Ante-Chapel;^[21] seats in the Choir are largely reserved for College members and their guests.^[20]

The demand for seats always exceeds the number available. Members of the public are admitted to the College through the main gate on King's Parade from 7:30 am (though some start queueing the night before),^[22] and each person is given an information leaflet which must be retained and shown to the duty porter for re-entry if he or she desires to leave the queue temporarily. People joining the queue before 9:00 am will usually gain admission to the Chapel, but this is not guaranteed. Porters monitor the number of people joining the queue, and once there are as many people as there are seats available, the others are advised that it is unlikely they will be able to attend the service.^[20] Members of Collegium Regale (the Choral Scholars of King's College Choir) usually sing Christmas carols to entertain the people who are queueing.

A limited number of seats are available for people unable to queue due to disability or illness. Application for such seats must be made by 31 October to the personal assistant of the Dean of King's College.^[20]

The doors of the Chapel are opened at 1:30 pm and the public allowed to find their seats.^[20] As the service is broadcast live, at the request of the BBC it begins a little after 3:00 pm and not exactly on the hour.^[9] It concludes at around 4:30 pm^[20] or 4:45 pm^[21] at the earliest.

[edit] See also

• Anglican church music
• List of carols performed at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College Chapel, Cambridge

[edit] Notes

[edit] Further reading

• Cleobury, Stephen (December 1988), "Nine Lessons and Carols at King's: 70 Years On", The Musical Times 129 (1750): 687 & 689, doi:10.2307/966672 .
• Barnett, Laura (9 December 2006), "My week: Stephen Cleobury", The Daily Telegraph (Weekend), http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/12/09/bmweek109.xml .

[edit] External links

• King's College Chapel's webpage about the service