Service of Nine Lessons and Carols

On this morning (10am EST) of the 24th of December, a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is broadcast live around the world on the BBC and here in America on PBS.

It has become extremely successful over the hundred years of its existence. There is a video of the 1992 performance followed by a BBC documentary.

King's College Choir, Cambridge, Nine Lessons and Carols 1992 

958,913 views / May 15, 2015

The Choir of King's College Cambridge, broadcast Christmas eve 1992. The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. Order of Service:

1. Once in Royal David's City (Trad. arr. Sir David Wilcox)

2. Opening words and prayers

3. Up! good Christen folk and listen  (Piae Cantiones / G. R. Woodward)

4. Reading Genesis 3: 8-15

5. The Truth From Above (Ralph Vaughan Williams)

6. Reading Genesis 22: 18-15

7. In Dulci Jubilo (Trad. arr. Sir Philip Ledger)

8. Reading Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

9. Riu, riu, chiu (Mateu Fletxa)

10. Reading Isaiah 11: 1-4, 6-9

11. Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (Trad. arr. J Brahms)

12. The Holly and the Ivy (Trad. arr. Walford Davies)

13. Reading Luke 1: 26-35

14. Joys Seven (Trad. arr. Stephen Cleobury)

15. Reading Luke 2:  1, 3-7

16. Silent Night (Trad. arr. John Rutter)

17. Oh Little Town of Bethlehem (Trad. Vaughan Williams)

18. Reading Luke 2: 8-16

19. In the Bleak Mid Winter (Trad. arr. Harold Darke)

20. Shepherd's Pipe Carol (John Rutter)

20. Reading Matthew 2: 1-12

21. We Three Kings of Orient are (Trad. arr. Martin Neary)

22. Hodie Christus Natus Est (Jan Sweelinck)

23. Reading John 1:  1-14

24. Oh Come all ye Faithful (Trad. arr. Stephen Cleobury)

25. Blessings

26. Hark the Herald Angel (Charles Wesley / Felix Mendelssohn arr.  Stephen Cleobury)

Followed by a BBC Documentary about the choir of King's College Cambridge filmed during 1991.

My Comments

Anglicans not only did a better job of reforming the Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer long before Vatican II, the now one-hundred-year tradition of a Service of Nine Lessons and Carols for Christmas Eve may be a far better alternative to Office of Readings for public celebration of scripture.

Like other parts of the Liturgy of the Hours the Office of Reading (the former Matins) was reformed mainly for the benefit of priests praying the Office in private rather than for public worship. 

The Western Offices (both Roman and Monastic) developed a service of Lessons with responsories between that was called Matins. The Roman Office before Vatican II had nine lessons with their responsories, preceded by nine psalms or feast days. Priests often said it before going to bed instead of in the morning before Lauds (our Morning Prayer). Monastic Matins before Midnight Mass  (which I attended before Vatican II) was an impressive liturgy.

The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols is similar in structure to the old Matins offices except that it eliminated psalms before the Lessons and substituted Carols for the responsories.  The eminent liturgist Robert Taft, S.J. has emphasized that liturgy is ritual, therefore people have the right to not be surprised or confused.

The following practices have likely contributed to its immense success.

1. The Lessons are aways the same.

2. Quite of few of the "Carols" are sung each year including all those sung by the people.

3. Most of all the rest of the Carols have been sung often in past years.

4. There is one newly commissioned carol each year.

5. Some newly commissioned carols have been repeated from year to year.

The practices not only eliminate surprise and confusion, they also conform to modern social science research on music which has shown that people prefer moderate complexity and novelty. 

ADDITION SERVICES OF LESSONS AND CAROLS CORRECTED

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Seven Lessons from Canterbury Cathedral December 23, 2022