Nine Lessons and Carols, also known as the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, is a service of Christian worship traditionally celebrated on or near Christmas Eve in Anglican churches and globally within the Anglican Communion. The story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus is told in nine short Bible readings or lessons from Genesis, the prophetic books and the Gospels, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols, hymns and choir anthems.
History
thumb|upright|[[Edward White Benson, credited with devising the service of Nine Lessons and Carols in 1880]]
thumb|upright|Order of Service for the first Nine Lessons and Carols in 1880 on display in [[Truro Cathedral]]
Although the tradition of Nine Lessons and Carols is popularly associated with King's College, Cambridge, its origins are attributed to Truro Cathedral in Cornwall. Up to the late 19th century, the singing of Christmas carols was normally performed by singers visiting people's houses, and carols — generally considered to be secular in content — had been excluded from Christian worship. In the Victorian era, the rising popularity of hymnody encouraged church musicians to introduce carols into worship. An 1875 book of carols, Carols for Use in Church During Christmas and Epiphany by Richard Chope and Sabine Baring-Gould, was an influential publication. At around this time, the composer and organist John Stainer was compiling a collection, Christmas Carols New and Old, and during Christmas 1878 he introduced carols into the service of Choral Evensong at St Paul's Cathedral in London. Other cathedrals also began to adopt carols at Christmastide that year and the Royal Cornwall Gazette reported that the choir of Truro Cathedral would sing a service of carols at 10:00 pm on Christmas Eve:
Two years later, the Right Rev. Edward White Benson, at that time Bishop of Truro, conducted the first formal service of "Nine Lessons and Carols" on Christmas Eve (24 December) 1880. Benson, concerned at the excessive consumption of alcohol in Cornish pubs during the festive season, sought a means of attracting revellers out of the pubs and into church by offering a religious celebration of Christmas. The idea for a service consisting of Christmas music interspersed with Bible readings was proposed by the succentor of the cathedral, the Rev. George Walpole (who later became Bishop of Edinburgh). The cathedral — a Victorian gothic building — was still under construction, and services were being held in a temporary wooden structure which served as a pro-cathedral. The first Nine Lessons and Carols service took place there at 10:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve and was attended by over 400 people.
Benson's son, A. C. Benson, later recalled:
Bishop Benson was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 1883, and the Nine Lessons service began to gain in popularity across the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion, as well as Roman Catholic churches in England and Wales. The original liturgy has since been adapted and used by other churches all over the world, particularly in English-speaking countries. Lessons and Carols most often occur in Anglican churches. However, numerous Christian denominations have adopted the service, or a variation of it, as part of their Christmas celebrations. In the UK, the service has become the standard format for school carol services.
Global spread
On Christmas Eve 1914, David Wilson organised the first service of Nine Lessons and Carols in Ireland in North Strand Church in Dublin. A special carol service was held in 2014 to celebrate the centenary.
In 1916, a service of Nine Lessons and Carols was held at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island; the institution celebrated the 100th anniversary of its Lessons and Carols in 2016.
Notably in 1918, the Rev. Eric Milner-White the new dean of King's College, Cambridge, introduced the service to the college chapel, taking advantage of the established choral tradition of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge. It proved highly successful, and began an annual tradition — albeit with some alterations to Benson's original format from 1919 onwards. The BBC began to broadcast the service from King's College on the radio from 1928 and on television from 1954, establishing it as the most popular and widely recognised presentation of the service.
In December 2013, Truro Cathedral staged a reconstruction of Bishop Benson's original 1880 Nine Lessons with Carols Service which was attended by a congregation of over 1,500 people.
During World War I the dean, Eric Milner-White, had served as army chaplain in the 7th Infantry Division and he was concerned that the distress of the "Great War" had hardened attitudes against religion. Taking advantage of the established choral tradition of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, he introduced Benson's carol service to King's as a means of attracting people back to Christian worship.
The King's College service was immensely successful, and the following year Milner-White made some changes to Benson's original format, notably introducing the tradition of opening the service with a solo treble singing "Once in Royal David's City". This was then followed by a bidding prayer penned by Milner-White himself, and re-ordering the lessons.
thumb|upright|[[The Adoration of the Magi (1634) by Peter Paul Rubens, which hangs behind the altar in King's College Chapel, Cambridge]]
Since the Second World War, it has been estimated that each year there are millions of listeners worldwide who listen to the service 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. The broadcast has been heard live on public radio stations affiliated with American Public Media since 1979, and most stations broadcast a repeat on Christmas Day. Since 1963, the service has been periodically filmed for television broadcast in the UK.
A programme entitled Carols from King's is pre-recorded in early or mid-December then shown on Christmas Eve in the UK on BBC Two. This is a different service from the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. 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.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was conducted, for the first time, without a congregation. The service did not take place live, but instead a pre-recorded service produced by King's College was broadcast at the usual time. It was the first time since 1930 that the service had not been broadcast live.
Order of service
The format of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols has not changed substantially since 1918. The order of the lessons was revised in 1919, since when the service has always begun with the hymn "Once in Royal David's City".
The nine lessons, which are the same every year, are read by representatives of the College and of the city of Cambridge using the text of the King James Version of the Bible published in 1611. The singing is made up of "carols" sung by the choir and "hymns" sung by the choir and congregation. Some services have also included anthems sung between the carols and hymns, such as a performance of "E'en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come" in 2004. Since 1983, a new carol has been commissioned by the College and premiered at the service. The carols vary from year to year, although some music is repeated, and the service ends with the hymn "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing". The order of service in 2025 is as follows:
- Organ preludes
::*"Fantasia in G, BWV, 572" – music by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
::*'Les bergers' from "La Nativité du Seigneur" – music by Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
::*"Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BuxWV 223" – music by Dietrich Buxtehude (c. 1637-1707)
::*'Offertoire sur Deux Noëls' from "Pièces dans différents styles, Op. 19" – music by Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911)
::*'La Nativité' from "Poèmes Évangeliques, Op. 7" – music by Jean Langlais (1907-1991)
::*'Noël, Grand Jeu et duo' from "Livre de Noëls, Op. 2" – music by Louis-Claude Daquin (1694-1772)
::*'Resonet in Laudibus' from "Cathedral Windows, Op. 106" – music by Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933)
::*'The Holy Boy' from "Preludes" – music by John Ireland (1879-1962)
::*"Chorale Prelude on 'Lob sei Gott'" – music by Jeremy Thurlow
::*'Desseins éternals' from "La Nativité du Seigneur" – music by Olivier Messiaen
::*"In dulci jubilo, BuxWV 197" – music by Dietrich Buxtehude
:*Processional hymn: "Once in Royal David's City" – words by Cecil Frances Alexander (1818−1895); melody ('Irby') by Henry Gauntlett (1805−1876); harmonised by Arthur Henry Mann (1850−1929); descant by David Willcocks (1919-2015)
- Bidding prayer, concluding with the Lord's Prayer
:*Carol: "The blessed son of God only" – words by Miles Coverdale (c.1488-1569) after Martin Luther (1483-1546); music by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
- First lesson from Genesis 3: 8–15, 17–19 (read by a chorister of King's College)
:*Carol: "Adam lay ybounden" – words, 15th century English, modernised by Edith Rickert (1871-1938); music by Boris Ord (1897-1961)
- Second lesson from Genesis 22: 15–18 (read by a student of King's College)
:*Carol: "Nowell sing we now all and some" – words, anonymous 15th century English; translated by Rosanna Omitowuju; music by Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994)
- Third lesson from Isaiah 9: 2, 6–7 (read by a member of the King's College staff)
:*Carol: "Sussex Carol" – words and music, English traditional; arranged by Philip Ledger (1937-2012)
:*Hymn: "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" – words by Edmund Hamilton Sears (1810-1876); melody ('Noel') adapted by Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900); descant by John Scott (1956-2015)
- Fourth lesson from Isaiah 11: 1–4a, 6–9 (read by a representative of Eton College)
:*Carol: "The Darkling Thrush" – words by Thomas Hardy (1840-1928); music by Rachel Portman (commissioned for the 2025 service)
:*Carol: "The Lamb" – words by William Blake (1757-1827); music by John Tavener (1944-2013)
- Fifth lesson from Luke 1: 26–35, 38 (read by a Fellow of King's College)
:*Carol: "Ave Maria" – words from Luke 1:28, 42; music by Anton Bruckner (1824-96)
:*Carol: "There is no rose of such virtue" – words and music, anonymous 15th century; arranged by John Stevens (1921-2002)
- Sixth lesson from Luke 2: 1–7 (read by the Deputy Mayor of Cambridge)
:*Carol: "A Boy Was Born" – words, 16th century German; translated by Percy Dearmer (1867-1936); music by Benjamin Britten (1913-76)
:*Hymn: "Unto Us is Born a Son" – words, anonymous 14th century; melody ('Puer nobis') from Piae Cantiones; arranged by David Willcocks
- Seventh lesson from Luke 2: 8–16 (read by the Director of Music of King's College)
:*Carol: "Nativity Carol" – words and music by John Rutter
:*Carol: "The Shepherds' Farewell" – words by Paul England (1863-1932); music from L'Enfance du Christ, Op. 25 by Hector Berlioz (1803-69)
- Eighth lesson from Matthew 2: 1–12 (read by the Vice-Provost of King's College)
:*Carol: "Dormi Jesu" – words in Latin, origin unknown; translated by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912); music by John Rutter
:*Carol: "I Saw Three Ships" – words and music, traditional English; arranged by Stuart Nicholson
- Ninth lesson from John 1: 1–14 (read by the Provost of King's College)
:*Hymn: "O Come, All Ye Faithful" – words, translated by Frederick Oakeley (1802−1880), William Thomas Brooke (1848−1917), et al.; melody ('Adeste, fideles') by John Francis Wade (1711−1786); arranged by David Willcocks; descant by Daniel Hyde
- Collect and blessing
:*Hymn: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" – words by Charles Wesley (1707−1788), et al.; adapted by William Hayman Cummings (1831-1915); melody ('Mendelssohn') by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809−1847); descant by David Willcocks
- Organ voluntaries
::*"In Dulci Jubilo, BWV 729" – music by Johann Sebastian Bach
::*'Dieu parmi nous' from "La Nativité du Seigneur" – music by Olivier Messiaen
Commissioned carols and organ postludes
The table below shows the new carols commissioned by King's College, Cambridge, since 1983.
<!--Please arrange in chronological order. Thanks.-->
{| class="wikitable" style="max-width: 1000px;"
|-
!width=60px|Year
!width=|Title of carol
!width=|Author/source and composer
|- valign=top
|align=center|1983
|In Wintertime<br />(When Thou Wast Born in Wintertime)
|Words: Betty Askwith<br />Music: Lennox Berkeley
|- valign=top
|align=center|1984
|One Star, At Last<br />(Fix on One Star)
|Words: George Mackay Brown<br />Music: Peter Maxwell Davies
|- valign=top
|align=center|1985
|Illuminare Jerusalem
|Words: Adapted from the Bannatyne Manuscript<br />Music: Judith Weir
|- valign=top
|align=center|1986
|Nowel, Nowel, Holly Dark
|Words: Walter de la Mare<br />Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
|- valign=top
|align=center|1987
|What Sweeter Music Can We Bring
|Words: Robert Herrick<br />Music: John Rutter
|- valign=top
|align=center|1988
|The Birthday of Thy King<br />(Awake, Glad Heart, Get up, and Sing!)
|Words: After Henry Vaughan<br />Music: Peter Sculthorpe
|- valign=top
|align=center|1989
|Carol of St. Steven
|Words: Adapted from William Sandys<br />Music: Alexander Goehr
|- valign=top
|align=center|1990
|Богородице Дево, радуйся<br />(Rejoice, O Virgin Mary)
|Words: Eastern Orthodox liturgy (in Russian)<br />Music: Arvo Pärt
|- valign=top
|align=center|1991
|A Gathering
|Words: Lancelot Andrewes<br />Music: John Casken
|- valign=top
|align=center|1992
|Swetë Jesu
|Words: Anonymous, 13th century<br />Music: Nicholas Maw
|- valign=top
|align=center|1993
|Christo Paremus Cantica
|Words: Anonymous, 15th century<br />Music: Diana Burrell
|- valign=top
|align=center|1994
|The Angels<br />(Should you Hear them Singing Among Stars)
|Words: John V. Taylor<br />Music: Jonathan Harvey
|- valign=top
|align=center|1995
|Seinte Marie Moder Milde
|Words: 13th century manuscript in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge<br />Music: James MacMillan
|- valign=top
|align=center|1996
|Pilgrim Jesus<br />(Iesus! Christus! In the Manger of my Body)
|Words: Kevin Crossley-Holland<br />Music: Stephen Paulus
|- valign=top
|align=center|1997
|The Fayrfax Carol
|Words: Anonymous, early Tudor<br />Music: Thomas Adès
|- valign=top
|align=center|1998
|Winter Solstice Carol
|Words: English translation of the Magnificat antiphon for Christmas Day<br />Music: Giles Swayne
|- valign=top
|align=center|1999
|On Christmas Day to My Heart
|Words: Clement Paman<br />Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
|- valign=top
|align=center|2000
|The Three Kings
|Words:Dorothy L. Sayers<br />Music: Jonathan Dove
|- valign=top
|align=center|2001
|Spring in Winter
|Words: 15th–17th century<br />Music: Robin Holloway
|- valign=top
|align=center|2003
|The Gleam<br />(Not yet shepherds the gilded kings)
|Words: Stephen Plaice<br />Music: Harrison Birtwistle
|- valign=top
|align=center|2004
|God Would be Born in Thee<br />(Lo, In the Silent Night a Child in God is Born)
|Words: Angelus Silesius<br />Music: Judith Bingham
|- valign=top
|align=center|2005
|Away in a Manger<br />(Jesu of a Maiden Thou Wast Born)
|Words: English mediaeval carol<br />Music: Mark-Anthony Turnage
|- valign=top
|align=center|2007
|Noël (Now Comes the Dawn)
|Words: Bertolt Brecht, translated by Michael Hamburger<br />Music: Dominic Muldowney
|- valign=top
|align=center|2009
|The Christ Child
|Words: G. K. Chesterton<br />Music: Gabriel Jackson
|- valign=top
|align=center|2010
|Christmas Carol (Offerings They Brought of Gold)
|Words: Einojuhani Rautavaara, translated by Hanni-Mari and Christopher Latham<br />Music: Einojuhani Rautavaara
|- valign=top
|align=center|2011
|Christmas Hath a Darkness
|Words: Christina Rossetti<br />Music: Tansy Davies
|- valign=top
|align=center|2012
|Ring Out, Wild Bells
|Words: Alfred, Lord Tennyson<br />Music: Carl Vine
|- valign=top
|align=center|2013
|Hear the Voice of the Bard
|Words: William Blake<br />Music: Thea Musgrave
|- valign=top
|align=center|2014
|De Virgine Maria
|Words: 12th-century Latin, translated by Ronald Knox<br />Music: Carl Rütti
|- valign=top
|align=center|2015
|The Flight
|Words: George Szirtes<br />Music: Richard Causton
|- valign=top
|align=center|2016
|This Endernight
|Words: Anonymous c. 1400<br />Music: Michael Berkeley
|- valign=top
|align=center|2017
|Carol Eliseus
|Words: Welsh<br />Music: Huw Watkins
|-
|align=center|2018
|O Mercy Divine
|Words: Charles Wesley<br />Music: Judith Weir
|-
|align=center|2019
|The Angel Gabriel
|Words: Basque, translated by Sabine Baring-Gould<br />Music: Philip Moore
|-
|align=center|2020
|No new commission
|-
|align=center|2021
|There is no Rose
|Words: 15th century<br />Music: Cecilia McDowall
|-
|align=center|2022
|Angelus ad Virginem
|Words: Mediaeval<br />Music: Matthew Martin
|-
|align=center|2023
|The Cradle
|Words: Anonymous, 17th century Austrian, translated by Robert Graves<br />Music: Cheryl Frances-Hoad
|-
|align=center|2024
|Three Points of Light
|Words: Peter Cairns<br />Music: Grayston Ives
|-
|align=center|2025
|The Darkling Thrush
|Words: Thomas Hardy<br />Music: Rachel Portman
|}
Organ postludes have also been commissioned in certain years, as shown in the table below.
<!--Please arrange in chronological order. Thanks.-->
{| class="wikitable" style="max-width: 1000px;"
|-
!width=60px|Year
!width=|Title of postlude
!width=|Composer
|- valign=top
|align=center|2005
|Improvisation on "Adeste Fideles" Owing to the service's popularity, demand for seats greatly exceeds the number of tickets available. In previous years, when tickets were available at the door, some people began queuing the night before, but now only those with standby tickets are permitted to stand in the queue.