Nine Lessons and Carols
A service of Nine Lessons in 2010 atSt. George's School, Rhode Island, US
Genre	Religious service/Anglican church music
Venue	Christian churches worldwide, notablyKing's College Chapel, Cambridge
Inaugurated	24 December 1880 (1880-12-24)
Founder	Edward White Benson

Nine Lessons and Carols, also known as theFestival of Nine Lessons and Carols andService of Nine Lessons and Carols, is a service ofChristian worship traditionally celebrated on or nearChristmas Eve in Anglican churches. The story of thefall of humanity, thepromise of the Messiah, and thebirth of Jesus is told in nine shortBible readings orlessons from Genesis, the prophetic books and the Gospels, interspersed with the singing ofChristmas carols,hymns andchoiranthems.

Although the tradition of Nine Lessons and Carols is popularly associated withKing's College, Cambridge, its origins are attributed toTruro Cathedral inCornwall. 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 theVictorian era, the rising popularity ofhymnody 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 andSabine Baring-Gould, was an influential publication. At around this time, the composer and organistJohn Stainer was compiling a collection,Christmas Carols New and Old, and during Christmas 1878 he introduced carols into the service ofChoral Evensong atSt Paul's Cathedral in London.^[1] Other cathedrals also began to adopt carols atChristmastide that year and theRoyal Cornwall Gazette reported that the choir of Truro Cathedral would sing a service of carols at 10:00 pm on Christmas Eve:

The Choir of the Cathedral will sing a number of carols in the Cathedral on Christmas Eve, the service commencing at 10pm. We understand that this is at the wish of many of the leading parishioners and others. A like service has been instituted in other cathedral and large towns, and has been much appreciated. It is the intention of the choir to no longer continue the custom of singing carols at the residences of members of the congregation.

Two years later, the Right Rev.Edward White Benson, at that timeBishop of Truro, conducted the first formal service of "Nine Lessons and Carols" onChristmas Eve (24 December) 1880. Benson, concerned at the excessive consumption of alcohol in Cornishpubs during thefestive 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 thesuccentor of the cathedral, the Rev.George Walpole (who later becameBishop of Edinburgh). The cathedral — aVictorian gothic building — was still under construction, and services were being held in a temporary wooden structure which served as apro-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.^[3][4][5]

Benson's son,A. C. Benson, later recalled:

My father arranged from ancient sources a little services for Christmas Eve, nine carols and nine tiny lessons. They were read by various officers of the church, beginning with a chorister and ending, through different grades, with the bishop.

Bishop Benson was appointedArchbishop of Canterbury in 1883, and the Nine Lessons service began to gain in popularity across theChurch of England and the widerAnglican Communion, as well asRoman Catholic churches inEngland 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 inAnglican 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.

On Christmas Eve 1914,David Wilson organised the first service of Nine Lessons and Carols in Ireland inNorth Strand Church in Dublin.^[7][8] A special carol service was held in 2014 to celebrate the centenary.

In 1916, a service of Nine Lessons and Carols was held atBrown University inProvidence, Rhode Island; the institution celebrated the 100th anniversary of its Lessons and Carols in 2016.^[9]

Notably in 1918, the Rev.Eric Milner-White the newdean of King's College, Cambridge, introduced the service to the college chapel, taking advantage of the established choral tradition of theChoir 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. TheBBC began to broadcast the service on the radio from 1928 and on television from 1954, establishingCarols from King's as the most popular and widely recognised presentation of the service.^[10][4]

In North America, the Lessons and Carols tradition spread to other US and Canadian institutions. In 1928, organist and choirmaster Twining Lynes, introduced the service toGroton School inGroton, Massachusetts, after being inspired by services in England.^[11]

In Canada, the Festival of Nine Lessons and carols is done multilingually atBishop's College School,Quebec, with the nine lessons read in nine languages or dialects.

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.^[5]

The first Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols atKing's College Chapel, Cambridge, was held onChristmas Eve in 1918, directed byArthur Henry Mann who was theorganist from 1876 to 1929.^[12]. DuringWorld War I the dean, Eric Milner-White, had served asarmy chaplain in the7th 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 theChoir 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 abidding prayer penned by Milner-White himself, and re-ordering the lessons.^[10][13][4] The choir had 16trebles as specified in statutes laid down byHenry VI, and until 1927 the men's voices were provided bychoral scholars andlay clerks. Today, 14undergraduates from the choir sing the men's parts.^[12]

The popularity of the service was established when the service began to be broadcast by theBritish Broadcasting Corporation in 1928, and, except for 1930, has been broadcast every year since. During the 1930s the service reached a worldwide audience when the BBC began broadcasting the service on itsOverseas Service. Even throughout theSecond World War, despite thestained glass having been removed from the chapel and the lack of heating, the broadcasts continued. For security reasons, the name "King's" was not mentioned during wartime broadcasts.^[12]

Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College was first televised byBBC Television in 1954, conducted by the director of music,Boris Ord.^[14][15]

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 theBBC World Service. Domestically, the service is broadcast live onBBC Radio 4, and a recorded broadcast is made on Christmas Day onBBC Radio 3.^[12] In the US, a 1954 service was put into theNational Recording Registry by theLibrary of Congress in 2008.^[16] The broadcast has been heard live on public radio stations affiliated withAmerican 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.^[17] Presently, each year a programme entitledCarols from King's is pre-recorded in early or mid-December then shown on Christmas Eve in the UK onBBC Two andBBC 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.

In 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, the service was conducted, for the first time, without a congregation.^[18][19] The service did not take place live, but instead a pre-recorded service produced by King's College was broadcast at the usual time.^[20] It was the first time since 1930 that the service had not been broadcast live.

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".^[12] Today 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 immediately before the service.^[21]

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 theKing James Version of theBible 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 includedanthems sung between the carols and hymns, such as a performance of "E'en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come" in 2004.^[22] 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 2024 is as follows:^[23]

• Organ preludes

• "Prelude and Fugue in G, BWV 541" – music byJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
• "Weihnachten, Op. 145 No. 3 – music byMax Reger (1873-1916)
• "Chorale-Improvisation on 'In dulci jubilo', Op. 75 No. 2" – music bySigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933)
• 'Pastorale on "Joseph, lieber Joseph mein" and "Stille Nacht"' from "Weihnachten, Op. 22" – music byCarl Sattler (1877-1966)
• "Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her", BWV 769" – music by Johann Sebastian Bach
• 'Desseins éternels' from "La Nativité du Seigneur" – music byOlivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
• "The Holy Boy" – music byJohn Ireland (1879-1962); arranged byAlec Rowley (1892-1958)
• "In dulci jubilo, BuxWV 197" – music byDieterich Buxtehude (c. 1637-1707)

• Processional hymn: "Once in Royal David's City" – words byCecil Frances Alexander (1818−1895); melody ('Irby') byHenry Gauntlett (1805−1876); harmonised byArthur Henry Mann (1850−1929);descant byPhilip Ledger (1937−2012)

• Bidding prayer, concluding with theLord's Prayer

• Carol: "Sussex Carol" – words and music, English traditional; arranged byRalph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

• First lesson fromGenesis 3: 8–15, 17–19 (read by a chorister of King's College)

• Carol: "Adam lay ybounden" – words, 15th century English, modernised byEdith Rickert (1871-1938); music by Matthew Martin

• 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 byElizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994)

• Third lesson fromIsaiah 9: 2, 6–7 (read by a member of the King's College staff)

• Carol: "A Great and Mighty Wonder" – words bySt Germanus (c.634-740); translated byJohn Mason Neale (1818-1866); music arranged byJames Whitbourn (1963-2024)
• Hymn: "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" – words byEdmund Hamilton Sears (1810-1876); melody ('Noel') adapted byArthur Sullivan (1842-1900); descant byJohn Scott (1956-2015)

• Fourth lesson from Isaiah 11: 1–4a, 6–9 (read by the Master over the Choristers of King's College)

• Carol: "The Lamb" – words byWilliam Blake (1757-1827); music byJohn Tavener (1944-2013)
• Carol: "Gabriel's Message" – words bySabine Baring-Gould (1834−1924); music, Basque carol, arranged byDavid Willcocks (1919−2015)

• Fifth lesson fromLuke 1: 26–35, 38 (read by aFellow of King's College)

• Carol: "Ave Regina coelorum" – words fromBrevarium Romanum; music byOrlando de Lassus (c. 1532-1594)
• Carol: "Nativity Carol" – words and music by John Rutter

• Sixth lesson from Luke 2: 1–7 (read by the DeputyMayor of Cambridge)

• Carol: "Come all you faithful Christians" – words and music, English traditional; arranged byChristopher Robinson
• Hymn: "While shepherds watched their flocks by night" – words byNahum Tate (1652-1715); melody ('Winchester Old') arranged byGeorge Kirbye (c. 1565-1634); descant byNicholas Marston (died 1624)

• Seventh lesson from Luke 2: 8–16 (read by the Director of Music of King's College)

• Carol: "Three Points of Light" – words by Peter Cairns; music byGrayston Ives (commissioned for the 2024 service)
• Carol: "I saw three ships come sailing in" – words and music, traditional English; arranged bySimon Preston (1938-2022)

• Eighth lesson fromMatthew 2: 1–12 (read by the Vice-Provost of King's College)

• Carol: "Lullay, dear Jesus, my heart's only treasure" – words, 'Lulajże, Jezununiu', 17th century Polish; translated byJan Śliwiński (1884-1950); music byArnold Bax (1883-1953)
• Carol: "Procedenti puero" – words, 15th century English; music byPeter Warlock (1894−1930)

• Ninth lesson from theJohn 1: 1–14 (read by theProvost of King's College)

• Hymn: "O Come, All Ye Faithful" – words, translated byFrederick Oakeley (1802−1880), William Thomas Brooke (1848−1917), et al.; melody ('Adeste, fideles') byJohn Francis Wade (1711−1786); arranged by David Willcocks; descant byDaniel Hyde

• Collect andblessing

• Hymn: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" – words byCharles Wesley (1707−1788), et al.; adapted byWilliam Hayman Cummings (1831-1915); melody ('Mendelssohn') byFelix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809−1847); descant by David Willcocks

• Organ voluntaries

• "In Dulci Jubilo, BWV 729" – music by Johann Sebastian Bach
• 'Final' from "Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 59" – music byLouis Vierne (1870-1937)

The table below shows the new carols commissioned by King's College, Cambridge, since 1983.

Organ postludes have also been commissioned in certain years, as shown in the table below.

Attendance at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols held on Christmas Eve is now by ticket only, many of which are allocated by public ballot; standby tickets are also made available to those who applied in the ballot.^[54] 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,^[55] but now only those with standby tickets are permitted to stand in the queue.^[54]

• Anglican church music
• List of carols at the Nine Lessons and Carols, King's College Chapel
• 100 Years of Nine Lessons and Carols

Wikimedia Commons has media related toNine Lessons and Carols.

• King's College, Cambridge: "A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols" webpage
• 50-minute BBC World Service documentary

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• Anglican church music
• Church music
• Christmas carols
• Christmas in England
• Nativity of Jesus in worship and liturgy

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