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Nine Lessons and Carols
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a format of Christian worship service celebrating the birth of Jesus and 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 E.W. Benson, later Archbishop of Canterbury, for Christmas Eve (December 24) 1880 in Truro. 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 most famous version is broadcast annually from King's College, Cambridge on Christmas Eve featuring carols by the famous Choir.
Lessons and Carols usually only occur in Anglican churches, although some Catholic and Lutheran parishes and institutions have also adopted the service.
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The first Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in King's College, Cambridge was conceived by Eric Milner-White and held on Christmas Eve in 1918. The format did not differ substantially from the one known today. The service was first broadcast on the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1928, and since the early 1930s has been broadcast live to many parts of the world on the BBC World Service, as well as domestically on the BBC Radio 4. It is estimated that each year there are millions of listeners worldwide. There is also a television broadcast in the UK on BBC Two and BBC Four, although that is pre-recorded in early or mid-December.
The service traditionally begins with the hymn Once in Royal David's City, with the first verse sung unaccompanied by a solo boy chorister, and ends with the hymn Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. The lessons are read by representatives of the college and of the City of Cambridge. The singing is divided into "carols", which are sung by the choir, and "hymns", sung by 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 Order of Service at King's College is always the same—the only thing that changes are which carols the choir sings, although some music is repeated from year to year. The following is from the service in 2005.[1]
- Organ Prelude
- Processional Hymn: Once in Royal David's City
- Bidding Prayer
- Carol: "What sweeter music" John Rutter
- First Lesson from Genesis 3
- Carol: Remember, O thou man Thomas Ravenscroft
- Carol: Adam lay ybounden Boris Ord
- Second Lesson from Genesis 22
- Anthem: God so loved the world John Stainer
- Carol: In dulci jubilo arr. Robert Lucas de Pearsall
- Third Lesson from Isaiah 9
- Carol: Sussex Carol arr. Phillip Ledger
- Hymn: Unto us is born a son
- Fourth Lesson from Isaiah 11
- Carol: A tender shoot Otto Goldschmidt
- Carol: A spotless rose Herbert Howells
- Fifth Lesson from the Gospel of Luke 1
- Carol: Edi beo thu, Heuene Quene 13th century traditional
- Carol: Benedicamus Domino Peter Warlock
- Sixth Lesson from Luke 2
- Carol: Sweet was the song the Virgin sang Richard Blackford
- Carol: Tomorrow shall be my dancing day John Gardner
- Seventh Lesson from Luke 2
- Carol: Away in a manger John Tavener
- Hymn: While shepherds watched their flocks by night
- Eighth Lesson from the Gospel of Matthew 2
- Carol: Riu, riu, Chiu Mateo Fletcher the elder
- Carol: Be merry Stephen Cleobury
- Ninth Lesson from the Gospel of John 1
- Chorale: Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her Johann Sebastian Bach
- Hymn: O Come, All Ye Faithful
- Collect & Blessing
- Hymn: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- Organ Postlude