Nine Lessons and Carols

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Nine Lessons and Carols

The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a format for a service of Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism#Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament....
worship

Worship

Worship usually refers to acts of religion devotion typically directed to one or more deity. It is the informal term in English for what sociology of religion call cult —traditional beliefs and practices, the individual study of which is one of the chief concerns of theology....
celebrating the birth of Jesus

Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the Incarnation ....
which is traditionally followed at Christmas

Christmas

Christmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts Twelve Days of Christmas....
. The story of the fall of humanity

Original sin

Original sin is, according to a doctrine in Christian theology, humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man. While the Old Testament and the New Testament, which frequently speak of the sinfulness of humans, do not contain the terms "original sin" or "ancestral sin", the doctrine expressed by these terms is claimed to be based on t...
, the promise of the Messiah

Messiah

Messiah literally means "anointed ".In Jewish messiah tradition and Jewish eschatology, messiah refers to a future monarch of United Monarchy from the Davidic line, who will rule the people of Israelite#The Twelve Tribes, and herald the Messianic Age of global peace....
, and the birth of Jesus is told in nine short Bible

Bible

The Bible is the central religious text of Judaism and Christianity. The exact Books of the Bible is dependent on the religious traditions of specific denominations....
readings, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carol

Christmas carol

File:Youth Choir in Healdsburg.jpgA Christmas carol is a Carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas, or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ....
s and hymn

Hymn

A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities, a prominent figure or an epic tale....
s.

The format was based on an Order drawn up by Edward White Benson

Edward White Benson

Edward White Benson was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1882 until his death....
, later Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, the Episcopal see that churches must be in communion with in order to be a part of the Anglican Communion....
, for Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, December 24, is the night before Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ ....
(24 December) 1880 in Truro

Truro

Truro is a City status in the United Kingdom in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, and is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population of 20,920....
, Cornwall

Cornwall

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Encyclopedia

The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a format for a service of Christian

Christian

Worship

Jesus

Christmas

Original sin

Messiah

Bible

Christmas carol

Hymn

Edward White Benson

Edward White Benson was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1882 until his death....
, later Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop of Canterbury

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, December 24, is the night before Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ ....
(24 December) 1880 in Truro

Truro

Truro is a City status in the United Kingdom in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, and is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population of 20,920....
, Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall , constitutional Duchy and palatine, is a metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England of England, United Kingdom, located at the tip of the south-western peninsula of Great Britain....
. 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

King's College, Cambridge

King's College, Cambridge is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and St. Nicholas in Cambridge, it is referred to as King's within the university....
, on Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, December 24, is the night before Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ ....
. It features carols by the famous Choir of King's College, Cambridge

Choir of King's College, Cambridge

The world-famous Choir of King's College, Cambridge is one of today's most accomplished and renowned representatives of the great British choral tradition....
.

Lessons and Carols most often occur in Anglican

Anglicanism

Anglicanism is a tradition of Christianity faith. Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs, worship and church structures....
churches, and in some Roman Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
and Lutheran

Lutheranism

Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century Germans Reformer Martin Luther....
parish

Parish

A parish is a local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican, United Methodist, and Presbyterianism churches....
es and institutions. However numerous Christian churches have adopted this service, or a variation on this service, as part of their Christmas celebrations.

Service at King's College, Cambridge

The first Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge

King's College, Cambridge

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, December 24, is the night before Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ ....
in 1918. It was conceived by Eric Milner-White

Eric Milner-White

The Very Reverend Dr Eric Milner-White CBE Distinguished Service Order is a former Dean of York in the Church of England; holding this post between 1941 and his death in 1963....
, the Dean

Dean (religion)

A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church....
of the College, whose experience as an army chaplain

Chaplain

A chaplain is typically a priest, pastor, ordained deacon, rabbi, imam or other member of the clergy serving a group of people who are not organized as a mission or church , or who are unable to attend church for various reasons; such as health, confinement, or military or civil duties; Laity chaplains are also found in other settings such...
had led him to believe that more imaginative worship was needed by the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....
. The order of service was adapted from an order drawn up by Edward White Benson

Edward White Benson

Edward White Benson was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1882 until his death....
, who would later become Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop of Canterbury

Truro Cathedral

The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Truro is an Anglican cathedral located in the city of Truro, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. It was built in the Gothic Revival architectural style fashionable during the period, and is one of only three cathedrals in the United Kingdom with Three-spired cathedrals in the United Kingdom....
in Truro

Truro

Truro is a City status in the United Kingdom in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, and is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population of 20,920....
, Cornwall

Cornwall

Bishop of Edinburgh

The Bishop of Edinburgh is the Ordinary of the Scottish Episcopal Church Diocese of Edinburgh.The see was founded in 1633 by King Charles I of England....
, George Henry Somerset Walpole, the purpose of the service was to keep men out of pubs on Christmas Eve.

The music at the first service at King's was directed by Arthur Henry Mann, who was the organist

Organist

An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ . An organist may play organ repertoire, play with an musical ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist....
from 1876 to 1929. The choir had 16 trebles

Boy soprano

A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged Human voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily be choristers who sing in a boys' ch...
as specified in statutes laid down by Henry VI

Henry VI of England

Henry VI was Kingdom of England 1422?1461 and then 1470?1471, and King of France as the de jure monarch from 1422 to 1429....
, and until 1927 the men's voices were provided by choral scholar

Choral scholar

A choral scholar is a student either at an university or private school who receives a scholarship in exchange for singing in the school or university's choir....
s and lay clerk

Lay clerk

A lay clerk, also known as a lay vicar, song man or a vicar choral, is a professional adult singer in a Cathedral or wiktionary:collegiate choir in the United Kingdom....
s. Today, 14 undergraduates from the Choir of King's College, Cambridge

Choir of King's College, Cambridge

The world-famous Choir of King's College, Cambridge is one of today's most accomplished and renowned representatives of the great British choral tradition....
, sing the men's parts.

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

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
despite the stained glass

Stained glass

For the Blackford Oakes novel, see Stained Glass The term stained glass can refer to the material of coloured glass or the craft of working with it....
having been removed from the Chapel and the lack of heating. For security reasons, the name "King's" was not mentioned during wartime broadcasts. 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

BBC World Service

The BBC World Service is one of the most widely recognised international broadcasting, currently broadcasting in 32 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays....
. Domestically, the service is broadcast live on BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4 is a domestic UK radio station that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history....
, and a recorded broadcast is made on Christmas Day on BBC Radio 3

BBC Radio 3

BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on European classical music, but jazz, world music, drama and the arts also feature....
. 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. 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

BBC Two

BBC Two is the second major terrestrial television channel of the BBC, aimed at a wide range of subject matter and interests, and specialising in intelligent yet popular programme genres....
and BBC Four

BBC Four

BBC Four is a BBC television channel available to digital television viewers in the UK. The part successor to BBC Knowledge, it launched on 2 March 2002....
. 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.

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

Once In Royal David's City

Once In Royal David's City is a Christmas carol, which was originally a poem written by Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander, who in 1848 married an Anglican clergyman, and in 1867, upon her husband's consecration, thereby became a bishop wife....
". 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.

The Nine Lessons, which are the same every year, are read by representatives of the college and of the City of Cambridge

Cambridge

The city status in the United Kingdom of Cambridge is a College town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies about 50 miles north of London....
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

Eton College

Eton College, also known as Eton, is a world-famous British independent school for boys, founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England. It was founded as the King's College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor....
, the Chaplain, the Director of Music, a fellow

Fellow

A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. Historically, the term fellow was also used to describe a man, particularly by those in the upper social classes....
of the College, and the Provost

Provost (education)

Provost is the title of a senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada. It is the equivalent of Deputy Vice Chancellor or Pro-Vice-Chancellor at certain institutions in United Kingdom and Ireland such as Trinity College Dublin, and the head of certain ancient colleges ....
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

Stephen Cleobury

Stephen Cleobury is an English organ and conducting. He was organ scholar at St John's College, Cambridge and sub-organist of Westminster Abbey before becoming Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral in 1979....
, 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

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is a Christmas hymn or Christmas carol written by Charles Wesley, the brother of John Wesley. It first appeared in Hymns and Sacred Poems in 1739....
". The following is from the service in 2008.

Organ Preludes

Processional Hymn: "Once in Royal David's City
Once In Royal David's City

Once In Royal David's City is a Christmas carol, which was originally a poem written by Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander, who in 1848 married an Anglican clergyman, and in 1867, upon her husband's consecration, thereby became a bishop wife....
" – words by Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander
Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander

Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander , was a hymn-writer and poetess.She was born in Dublin, the daughter of Major John Humphreys and Elizabeth ....
; melody by H.J. Gauntlett, harmonized by H.J. Gauntlett and A.H. Mann; descant
Descant

Descant or discant can refer to several different things in music, depending on the period in question; etymologically, the word means a voice above or removed from others....
by Stephen Cleobury
Stephen Cleobury

Stephen Cleobury is an English organ and conducting. He was organ scholar at St John's College, Cambridge and sub-organist of Westminster Abbey before becoming Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral in 1979....
.

Bidding Prayer
Bidding-prayer

A Bidding-prayer is the formula of prayer or exhortation to prayer said during worship in churches of the Anglican Communion. It occurs during the liturgy of the word, prior to the sermon....

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

First Lesson from Genesis
Genesis

Genesis or Breishit is the first book of the Bible used by Judaism and Christianity, and the first of five books of the Pentateuch or Torah....
3: 8–15; 17–19

Carol: "Remember, O Thou Man" – words, 16th century; music by Thomas Ravenscroft
Thomas Ravenscroft

Thomas Ravenscroft was an English people composer, theorist and editor, notable as a composer of round and Catch , and especially for compiling collections of British folk music....
Carol: "Adam Lay Ybounden
Adam Lay Ybounden

Adam Lay Ybounden, alternatively titled Deo Gracias, is a 15th Century English language text of unknown authorship, found in the Sloane Manuscript 2593....
" – words, 15th century; music by Boris Ord
Boris Ord

Boris Ord was organist and Director of music of Choir of King's College, Cambridge between 1929 and 1957, though Harold Darke deputised during World War II whilst Ord served in the Royal Air Force....

Second Lesson from Genesis 22: 15–18

Carol: "Angels from the Realms of Glory
Angels from the Realms of Glory

'"Angels from the Realms of Glory"' is a Christmas carol written by James Montgomery. Its first printing was in the Sheffield Iris on Christmas Eve 1816, though it only began to be sung in churches after its 1825 reprinting in the Montgomery collection The Christian Psalmist and in the Religious Tract Society's The Christmas Box or N...
" – words by James Montgomery
James Montgomery

James Montgomery was a United Kingdom editing and poet.Montgomery, poet, son of a pastor and missionary of the Moravian Church, was born at Irvine, North Ayrshire in Ayrshire, and educated at the Moravian School at Fulneck school, near Pudsey in Leeds....
; music, old French tune arranged by Philip S. Ledger
Philip Ledger

Sir Philip Ledger CBE is a British classical musician and academic.Sir Philip was born in Bexhill in 1937 and educated at King's College, Cambridge....
Carol: "In Dulci Jubilo
In Dulci Jubilo

"In Dulci Jubilo" is a traditional Christmas Carol....
" – words, 14th century German; music by Hieronymus Praetorius
Hieronymus Praetorius

Hieronymus Praetorius was a north Germany composer and organ of the late Renaissance music and very early Baroque music eras. He was not related to the much more famous Michael Praetorius, though the Praetorius family had many distinguished musicians throughout the 16th and 17th centuries....

Third Lesson from Isaiah
Isaiah

Isaiah is the main figure in the Biblical Book of Isaiah, and is traditionally considered to be its author. He was an 8th-century Before Christ Judean prophet who declared that all the world belonged to God and that God will destroy it....
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
Piae Cantiones

Piae Cantiones ecclesiasticae et scholasticae veterum episcoporum is a collection of late Middle Ages Latin songs compiled by Jacobus Finno and published in 1582 by Theodoricus Petri Nylandensi, also known as Theodoric Petri of Nyland ....
arranged by David V. Willcocks

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

Carol: "The Lamb
The Lamb

"The Lamb " is a poem by William Blake, published in Songs of Innocence in 1789. Like many of Blake's works, the poem is about religion, specifically about Christianity....
" – words by William Blake
William Blake

William Blake was an English people English poetry, Painting, and printmaker. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both poetry and the visual arts of the Romanticism....
; music by John Tavener
John Tavener

Sir John Tavener is a United Kingdom composer,British honours systemed in 2000 for his services to music....
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
Gospel of Luke

The Gospel of Luke is a Synoptic Gospels, and is the third and longest of the four Biblical canonical Gospels of the New Testament. The text narrates the life of Jesus of Nazareth....
1: 26–35; 38

Carol: "I Sing of a Maiden" – words, 15th century; music by Lennox Berkeley
Lennox Berkeley

Sir Lennox Randal Francis Berkeley was an England composer....
Carol: "The Night when She First Gave Birth" ("Mary") – words by Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht

was a Germany poet, playwright, and theatre director. An influential theatre practitioner of the Twentieth-century theatre, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and Theatre, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the Berliner Ensemble?the post-war theatre company operated by Brec...
, translated by Michael Hamburger
Michael Hamburger

Michael Hamburger Officer of the Order of the British Empire was a noted United Kingdom translation, poet, literary critic, memoirist, and academia....
; music by Dominic Muldowney
Dominic Muldowney

Dominic Muldowney is a British composer.He studied at the universities of University of Southampton and University of York , and took private lessons with Harrison Birtwistle....

Sixth Lesson from Luke 2: 1; 3–7

Carol: "Sweet Baby, Sleep! What Ails My Dear?" ("Wither's Rocking Hymn)" – words by George Wither
George Wither

George Wither was an English poet and satirist. He was a prolific writer who adopted a deliberate plainness of style; he was several times imprisoned....
; music by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams

Ralph Vaughan Williams Order of Merit was an England composer of symphony, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film Film score. He was also a collector of England folk music and folk song; this also influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, which began in 1904, many folk song arrangements being set as hymn tunes,...
Carol: "What Sweeter Music can We Bring" – words by Robert Herrick
Robert Herrick (poet)

Robert Herrick was a 17th century English poet....
; music by John Rutter
John Rutter

John Milford Rutter Order of the British Empire is an England composer, choir conducting, editing, arranger and record producer.Born in London, he was educated at Highgate School, where a fellow pupil was John Tavener....

Seventh Lesson from Luke 2: 8–16

Carol: "Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

"Infant holy, Infant lowly" is based on a traditional Poland Christmas carol, "W zlobie lezy". This song was translated to English language by Edith M.G.Reed....
" – 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
Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels in the New Testament and is a synoptic gospel. It narrates an account of the New Testament view on Jesus' life and Ministry of Jesus of Jesus of Nazareth....
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
Judith Weir

Judith Weir Order of the British Empire, , is a United Kingdom composer currently resident in London. She is Professor of Music at Cardiff University....
Carol: "Glory, Alleluia to the Christ Child" – words, 17th century; music by A. Bullard

Ninth Lesson from the Gospel of John
Gospel of John

The Gospel of John is the fourth gospel in the Biblical canon of the New Testament, traditionally ascribed to John the Evangelist. Like the three synoptic gospels, it contains an account of some of the actions and sayings of Jesus of Nazareth, but differs from them in ethos and theological emphases....
1: 1–14

Hymn: "O Come, All Ye Faithful
Adeste Fideles

"Adeste Fideles" is the name of a hymn tune written by John Francis Wade in 1743 and the first line of the Latin text for which the tune was written....
" ("Adeste Fideles") – words, 18th century Latin, translated by Frederick Oakeley
Frederick Oakeley

Frederick Oakeley was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire and educated at Christ Church, Oxford. He was ordained in 1828 and in 1845 converted from Church of England to Catholicism becoming a canon at Westminster Cathedral in 1852....
; melody by John Francis Wade
John Francis Wade

John Francis Wade was an England hymnist. He is credited with writing and composing the hymn Adeste Fideles .Either born in England or in Douai, Early Modern France, Wade fled to France after the Second Jacobite rising was crushed....
, arranged by Stephen Cleobury

Collect
Collect

In Christianity liturgy, a collect [k?l?kt; kol-ekt'] is both a liturgical action and a short, general prayer. In the Middle Ages, the prayer was referred to in Latin as collectio, but in the more ancient sources, as oratio....
and Blessing

Hymn: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is a Christmas hymn or Christmas carol written by Charles Wesley, the brother of John Wesley. It first appeared in Hymns and Sacred Poems in 1739....
" – words by Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley

Charles Wesley was a leader of the Methodist movement, the younger brother of John Wesley. Despite their closeness, Charles and his brother did not always agree on questions relating to their beliefs....
and George Whitefield
George Whitefield

George Whitefield , also known as George Whitfield, , an Anglican itinerant minister who helped spread the Great Awakening in Great Britain and, especially, in the British North American colonies....
; music by Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born, and generally known in English-speaking countries, as Felix Mendelssohn was a Germany composer, pianist, organist and conducting of the early Romantic music period....
; descant by Stephen Cleobury

Organ Voluntaries: "In Dulci Jubilo
In Dulci Jubilo

"In Dulci Jubilo" is a traditional Christmas Carol....
" (BWV 729) by Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and organ whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque music period and brought it to its ultimate maturity....
, "Dieu Parmi Nous" by Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen

Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organ , and ornithology. He entered the Conservatoire de Paris at the age of 11 and numbered Paul Dukas, Maurice Emmanuel, Charles-Marie Widor and Marcel Dupr? among his teachers....
Organ Postlude

Commissioned carols and organ postludes

Year	Titles	Authors
1983	(When Thou wast born in wintertime)	Words: Betty Askwith Music: Lennox Berkeley Lennox Berkeley Sir Lennox Randal Francis Berkeley was an England composer....
1984	(Fix on one star)	Words: George Mackay Brown George Mackay Brown George Mackay Brown , was a Scotland poet, author and dramatist, whose work has a distinctly Orcadian character. He is considered one of the great Scottish poets of the 20th century.... Music: Peter Maxwell Davies Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Order of the British Empire , is an English composer and Conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music....
1985	Illuminare Jerusalem	Music: Judith Weir Judith Weir Judith Weir Order of the British Empire, , is a United Kingdom composer currently resident in London. She is Professor of Music at Cardiff University....
1986		Words: Walter de la Mare Walter de la Mare Walter John de la Mare , Order of Merit Order of the Companions of Honour was an British poetry, short story writer and British literature, probably best remembered for his works for children and "The Listeners".... Music: Richard Rodney Bennett Richard Rodney Bennett Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, CBE is an England composer renowned for his film scores and his jazz performance as much as for his challenging concert works....
1987	What Sweeter Music Can We Bring	Words: Robert Herrick Robert Herrick (poet) Robert Herrick was a 17th century English poet.... Music: John Rutter John Rutter John Milford Rutter Order of the British Empire is an England composer, choir conducting, editing, arranger and record producer.Born in London, he was educated at Highgate School, where a fellow pupil was John Tavener....
1988	(Awake, glad heart, get up, and sing!)	Words: After Henry Vaughan Henry Vaughan Henry Vaughan was a Welsh people metaphysical poet and medical practitioner. Vaughan was born to Thomas Vaughan and Denise Morgan at 'Trenewydd', Newton , in Brecknockshire, Wales.... Music: Peter Sculthorpe Peter Sculthorpe Peter Joshua Sculthorpe Order of Australia Order of the British Empire is a noted Australian composer. He is known primarily for his orchestral and chamber music, such as Kakadu and Earth Cry , which evoke the sounds and feeling of the Australian bushland and outback....
1989		Words: Adapted from W. Sandys' Christmas Carols Music: Alexander Goehr Alexander Goehr Alexander Goehr is an England composer and academic.He was born in Berlin, the son of Walter Goehr. He studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester where he met Peter Maxwell Davies, Harrison Birtwistle, John Ogdon and Elgar Howarth....
1990	?????????? ???? ???????, ??????????? ?????, ??????? ? ????? (Rejoice, O Virgin Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee)	Words: the Orthodox Liturgy Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian communion in the world with an estimated 225 million members worldwide. It is considered by its adherents to be the Four Marks of the Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles nearly 2000 years ago.... (in Russian Russian language Russian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe.... ) Music: Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt Arvo P?rt , is an Estonian classical composer. P?rt works in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabulation and hypnotic repetitions influenced by the intellectual counterpoint elements of European jazz, but fitting into European-American classical post-modernism rather than so-called world music....
1991		Words: Lancelot Andrewes Lancelot Andrewes Lancelot Andrewes was an English clergyman and scholar, who held high positions in the Church of England during the reigns of Elizabeth I of England and James I of England.... Music: John Casken John Casken John Casken is an England composer, and Professor of Music at the University of Manchester since 1992.Casken was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England....
1992		Words: Anonymous, 13th Century Music: Nicholas Maw Nicholas Maw John Nicholas Maw is a United Kingdom composer....
1993		Words: Anonymous, 15th Century Music: Diana Burrell Diana Burrell Diana Burrell is an England composer.She was born in Norwich and attended Norwich High School for Girls before studying music at Cambridge University....
1994	(Should you hear them singing among stars)	Words: John V. Taylor Music: Jonathan Harvey Jonathan Harvey (composer) Jonathan Harvey is a British composer.He studied with Erwin Stein and Hans Keller at St John's College, Cambridge, eventually obtaining a Doctor of Philosophy....
1995		Words: From a 13th-century manuscript in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is one of the 31 Colleges of the University of Cambridge of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or University of Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduate students, and over 160 Fellows; however, counting only the student body it has somewhat fewer than Homert... Music: James MacMillan
1996	(Iesus! Christus! In the manger of my body)	Words: Kevin Crossley-Holland Kevin Crossley-Holland Kevin John William Crossley-Holland is an English people children's author and poet.Born in Mursley, north Buckinghamshire, Holland grew up in Whiteleaf, Buckinghamshire, a small village in the Chilterns.... Music: Stephen Paulus Stephen Paulus Stephen Paulus is an American composer, best known for his operas and choral music. His most well-known piece is his 1982 opera The Postman Always Rings Twice , one of several operas he has written for the Opera Theatre of St....
1997	The Fayrfax Carol	Words: Early Tudor Tudor period The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII of England .... , anonymous Music: Thomas Adès Thomas Adès Thomas Ad?s is a United Kingdom composer, pianist and conducting.Ad?s studied piano with Paul Berkowitz and later musical composition with Robert Saxton at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London....
1998	Winter Solstice Carol	English words and music: Giles Swayne Giles Swayne Giles Oliver Cairnes Swayne is a United Kingdom composer.... Latin Latin Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe.... words: Magnificat Magnificat The Magnificat is a canticle frequently sung liturgy in Christian church services. The text of the canticle is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke where it is spoken by the Virgin Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth.... antiphon Antiphon An antiphon is a response, usually sung in Gregorian chant, to a psalm or some other part of a religious service, such as at Vespers or at a mass .... for Christmas Day
1999	On Christmas Day to My Heart	Words: Clement Paman Music: Richard Rodney Bennett Richard Rodney Bennett Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, CBE is an England composer renowned for his film scores and his jazz performance as much as for his challenging concert works....
2000	The Three Kings	Words: The Three Kings (1916) by Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy Leigh Sayers was a renowned United Kingdom author, translator and Christian humanism. She was also a student of classical and modern languages.... Music: Jonathan Dove Jonathan Dove Jonathan Dove is a United Kingdom composer of opera and choral works and theatre, film, orchestral and chamber music. He has arranged a number of operas for English Touring Opera and the City of Birmingham Touring Opera , including in 1990 a famous 18-player two-evening adaptation of Richard Wagner Der Ring des Nibelungen for CBTO....
2001	Spring in Winter	Words: C. Smart, from Hymn &c: The Nativity of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Music: John Woolrich John Woolrich John Woolrich is a British composer. He was BBC Radio 3 'Composer of the Week' in March 2008, involving the broadcast of over 4 hours of his music in one week....
2002	The Angel Gabriel Descended to a Virgin	Words: 15th–17th century Music: Robin Holloway Robin Holloway Robin Greville Holloway is an English composer. From 1952 to 1957, he was a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral. He attended King's College, Cambridge and studied musical composition with Alexander Goehr....
2003	The Gleam (Not yet shepherds the gilded kings)	Words: Stephen Plaice Music: Harrison Birtwistle Harrison Birtwistle Sir Harrison Paul Birtwistle Order of the Companions of Honour is a United Kingdom contemporary composer....
2004	God would be born in thee (Lo, in the Silent Night a Child in God is Born)	Words: Angelus Silesius Angelus Silesius Angelus Silesius was a Germany mysticism and poet.LifeSilesius was born in Wroclaw, Silesia as son of Polish noble and German mother.... Music: Judith Bingham Judith Bingham Judith Bingham is a British composer and mezzo-soprano singerJudith Bingham Judith Bingham has, until recently, combined the careers of professional singer and serious composer ? an almost automatic coupling in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, but a rarer one in more recent times....
2005	Carol: Away in a Manger Away in a Manger "Away in a Manger" is a religious Christmas carol first published in 1885 and used widely throughout the English-speaking world....	Words: 19th century Music: John Tavener John Tavener Sir John Tavener is a United Kingdom composer,British honours systemed in 2000 for his services to music....
2005	Organ postlude: Improvisation on "Adeste Fideles Adeste Fideles "Adeste Fideles" is the name of a hymn tune written by John Francis Wade in 1743 and the first line of the Latin text for which the tune was written.... "	Francis Pott Francis Pott Francis Pott, born 25 August 1957, is a British composer, pianist, senior academic and university administrator.He held open music scholarships at Winchester College and Magdalene College, Cambridge, studying composition at the latter with Robin Holloway and Hugh Wood while also pursuing piano studies as a private pupil of Hamish Milne in L...
2006	Carol: Misere' Nobis (Jesu of a Maiden Thou wast Born)	Words: a version of a medieval English carol Music: Mark-Anthony Turnage Mark-Anthony Turnage Mark-Anthony Turnage is an England composer of European classical music. He has also been strongly influenced by jazz, and by Miles Davis in particular....
2006	Organ postlude: Recessional on "In the Bleak Midwinter In the Bleak Midwinter "In the Bleak Midwinter" is a Christmas carol.Although written by Christina Rossetti before 1872, it was published posthumously in Rossetti's Poetic Works in 1904 and became a Christmas carol after it appeared in The English Hymnal in 1906 with a setting by Gustav Holst.... "	Lionel Steuart Fothringham
2007	Carol: Noël (Now comes the dawn) (Stardust and vaporous light)	Words: Richard Watson Gilder Richard Watson Gilder Richard Watson Gilder was an United States poet and editor.Gilder was born at Bordentown, New Jersey. He was the son of the Rev. William Henry Gilder , at whose seminary in Flushing, New York, he was educated.... Music: Brett Dean Brett Dean Brett Dean is a contemporary Australian composer, viola and Conducting....
2007	Organ postlude: Sortie on "In Dulci Jubilo In Dulci Jubilo "In Dulci Jubilo" is a traditional Christmas Carol.... "	David Briggs David Briggs (musician) David J. Briggs is an England organist and composer....
2008	Mary (The Night when She First Gave Birth)	Words: Bertolt Brecht Bertolt Brecht was a Germany poet, playwright, and theatre director. An influential theatre practitioner of the Twentieth-century theatre, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and Theatre, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the Berliner Ensemble?the post-war theatre company operated by Brec... , translated by Michael Hamburger Michael Hamburger Michael Hamburger Officer of the Order of the British Empire was a noted United Kingdom translation, poet, literary critic, memoirist, and academia.... Music: Dominic Muldowney Dominic Muldowney Dominic Muldowney is a British composer.He studied at the universities of University of Southampton and University of York , and took private lessons with Harrison Birtwistle....

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. There are about 650 seats in the Chapel for the service, most of which are in the Ante-Chapel

Ante-chapel

Ante-chapel is the term given to that portion of a chapel which lies on the western side of the choir screen.In some of the colleges at University of Oxford and University of Cambridge the ante-chapel is carried north and south across the west end of the chapel, constituting a western transept or narthex....
; seats in the Choir are largely reserved for College members and their guests.

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), and each person is given an information leaflet which must be retained and shown to the duty porter

Porter (college)

The majority of colleges at the universities of University of Cambridge, University of Durham and University of Oxford, as well as newer collegiate universities such as University of York and older universities like St David's College, have members of staff called porters....
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. 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.

The doors of the Chapel are opened at 1:30 pm and the public allowed to find their seats. 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. It concludes at around 4:30 pm or 4:45 pm at the earliest.

Nine Lessons and Carols

Service at King's College, Cambridge

Order of service

Commissioned carols and organ postludes

Attendance of the service in person

See also

Further reading

External links