Candlelight Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Music / Singing - Performance
| Date & Time: |
Sunday, January 3, 2010 5:00 PM-6:00 PM |
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| Suggested Audiences: | Elders, Adult, College, High School, Middle School, Elementary | |
| Location: Find Local Food & Accommodations |
All Saints Church 10 Irving Street Worcester, MA 01609 |
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| Cost: | Free | |
| Sponsored by: | All Saints Choirs and Alumni | |
| Description: | The Candlight Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols reviews and concludes the joyful Christmas season with a dramatic telling of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, the birth of Jesus and the visit of the Wise Men, told in nine short Bible readings, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols and hymns. This service is patterned on the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge, first held on Christmas Eve in 1918, and still beloved nearly a century later. Eric Milner-White, the Dean of the College, conceived the service after his experience as an army chaplain led him to believe that more imaginative worship was needed by the Church of England. He adapted the order of service from one created by a future Archbishop of Canterbury, Edward White Benson, and used on Christmas Eve in 1880. The purpose of the 10 p.m. service was to keep men out of pubs on Christmas Eve. The best-known version is broadcast annually from King's College, Cambridge, on Christmas Eve. The service was first broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1928 and, except for 1930, every year since, even throughout World War II despite the stained glass 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 programs, and each year millions of listeners worldwide listen to it live on the BBC World Service. 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. At All Saints Church it is sung annually on the Sunday nearest Epiphany, the last of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Since 1919, the service at King's College has begun with the hymn "Once in Royal David's City"; as at King's, at All Saints the first verse is sung unaccompanied by a solo boy chorister. The Nine Lessons, which are the same every year, are read by representatives of the choir and the Church from the 1611 Authorized King James Version of the Bible in the following order: a boy chorister, a girl chorister, a man of the choir, a woman of the choir, a lay reader of the Parish, a Warden of the Parish, the Choir Director, the Clergy Associate, and the Rector. The singing is divided into "carols" which are sung by the Choir, and "hymns" sung by the Choir and congregation. The Service concludes with a reception hosted by the families of the boys and girls of the All Saints Choirs. |
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| More Information: |
Website: http://web.me.com/petersberton/All_Saints_Worcester_Music_We... E-mail: candacehsmith@yahoo.com Entered by: Candace Smith |
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Created: September 4, 2009 at 1:42 PM
Last Modified: September 4, 2009 at 1:43 PM
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