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 man, 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. Jesus, also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure in Christianity. ... Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... Essentially, original sin is the doctrine, shared in one form or another by most Christian churches, that the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (called the Fall), changed or damaged human nature, such that all human beings since then are innately predisposed to sin, and are... In Judaism, the Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ Anointed one, Standard Hebrew Mašíaḥ, Tiberian Hebrew Māšîªḥ) is a human descendant of King David who will rebuild the nation of Israel and bring world peace by restoring the Davidic Kingdom. ... A Bible handwritten in Latin, on display in Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, England. ... This page is about carols in general; for the short story by Charles Dickens, see A Christmas Carol. ... A hymn is a song specifically written as a song of praise, adoration or prayer, typically addressed to a god. ...

The format was based on an Order drawn up by E.W. Benson, later Archbishop of Canterbury, for Christmas Eve 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. Edward White Benson (born July 14, 1829; died October 11, 1896) was an academic and held the post of Archbishop of Canterbury. ... Arms of the Archbishop of Canterbury The Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior bishop of the state Church of England and of the worldwide Anglican Communion, outranking the other English archbishop, the Archbishop of York. ... December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). ... 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... A street in Truro, with Truro Cathedral in the background. ...

The most famous version is broadcast annually from the chapel of King's College, Cambridge on Christmas Eve. Full name The Kings College of Our Lady and St Nicholas Motto Veritas Et Utilitas Truth and usefulness Named after Henry VI Previous names - Established 1441 Sister College New College Provost Dame Judith Mayhew-Jonas Location Kings Parade Undergraduates 397 Graduates 239 Homepage Boatclub Kings College, Cambridge... See also Christmas Christmas Eve, December 24, the day before Christmas Day, is treated to a greater or a lesser extent in most Christian societies as part of the festivities. ...

King's College, Cambridge

The first Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in King's College, Cambridge was 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 Overseas Service, as well as domestically on the 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 channels Two and Four), although that is pre-recorded in early- or mid- December. Full name The Kings College of Our Lady and St Nicholas Motto Veritas Et Utilitas Truth and usefulness Named after Henry VI Previous names - Established 1441 Sister College New College Provost Dame Judith Mayhew-Jonas Location Kings Parade Undergraduates 397 Graduates 239 Homepage Boatclub Kings College, Cambridge... See also Christmas Christmas Eve, December 24, the day before Christmas Day, is treated to a greater or a lesser extent in most Christian societies as part of the festivities. ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... This article is an overview article about the Crown chartered British Broadcasting Corporation formed in 1927. ... 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Events and trends Technology Jet engine invented First atom was split with a particle accelerator Golden Age of radio begins in U.S. Disney adopts a three-color Technicolor process for cartoons First Kit Kat in UK The photocopier is invented by Carlson Air mail service across the Atlantic Science... radio programming, transmitting in 43 languages to around 150 million people throughout the world. ... BBC Two (or BBC2 as it was formerly styled) was the second UK television station to be aired by the BBC. History The channel was scheduled to begin at 7:20pm on April 20, 1964 and show an evening of light entertainment, starting with the comedy show The Alberts and... BBC Four is a BBC television channel available to digital TV (Freeview, satellite and cable) viewers in the UK. Contents // Categories: Station stubs | BBC television channels | British TV channels ...

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. A new carol or a new arrangement is frequently premiered at the service. Treble is a term applied in music to the high or acute part of the musical system, as opposed to the bass, the lower or grave part. ... Hark! The Herald Angels Sing is a Christmas hymn or carol written by Charles Wesley, the brother of John Wesley. ... The city of Cambridge is an old English university town and the regional centre of the county of Cambridgeshire. ...

Order of Service

The Order of Service at King's College is always the same--the only thing that changes are which carols the choir sings, although a lot of music is repeated from year to year. The following carols are from the service in 2004.

• Organ Prelude
• Processional Hymn: Once in Royal David's City
• Bidding Prayer
• Carol: Up! Good Christian folk and listen G. R. Woodward
• Carol: Sussex Carol arr. David Willcocks
• First Lesson from Genesis 3
• Carol: Jesus Christ the Apple Tree Elizabeth Poston
• Carol: Adam lay ybounden Peter Warlock
• Second Lesson from Genesis 22
• Carol: E'en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come Paul Manz
• Carol: In dulci jubilo arr. R. de Pearsall
• Third Lesson from Isaiah 9
• Carol: Lo, in the silent night Judith Bingham
• Hymn: O Little Town of Bethlehem
• Fourth Lesson from Isaiah 11
• Carol: A great and mighty wonder arr. James Whitbourn
• Carol: A spotless rose Philip Ledger
• Fifth Lesson from Luke 1
• Carol: The Cherry Tree Carol arr. Stephen Cleobury
• Carol: Mary's Magnificat Andrew Carter
• Sixth Lesson from Luke 2
• Carol: Sleep, baby, sleep Richard Lloyd
• Caroi: I wonder as I wander Carl Rutti
• Seventh Lesson from Luke 2
• Carol: Starry night o'er Bethlehem David Willcocks
• Hymn: God rest you merry, gentlemen
• Eighth Lesson from Matthew 2
• Carol: The Three Kings Peter Cornelius
• Carol: Noel nouvelet arr. Stephen Jackson
• Ninth Lesson from John 1
• Hymn: O Come, All Ye Faithful
• Collect & Blessing
• Hymn: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
• Organ Postlude

Sir David Willcocks (b. ... Peter Warlock was a pseudonym of Philip Arnold Heseltine (October 30, 1894 - December 17, 1930), an English composer and music critic. ... Stephen Cleobury (b. ... Richard Lloyd is one of the founding members of the punk band Television. ... Sir David Willcocks (b. ... Stephen Jackson (born April 5, 1978 in Houston, Texas) is a pro basketball player for the NBAs Indiana Pacers. ...

See also

• Anglican church music

Anglican church music is music written for performance in Anglican church services, primarily in England. ...

External link

• King's Chapel's page about the service (http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/chapel/ninelessons/)