K I N G ’S C O L L E G E C H A P E L

A F E S T I VA L
OF NINE LESSONS
AN D C A R O L S
CHRISTMAS EVE
2005
 E VAC UAT I O N RO U T E S A N D
P RO C E D U R E S

NORTH DOOR NORTH – EAST DOOR

FIRE EXIT FIRE EXIT

North
Porch

Organ
Console

WEST DOOR CHOIR STALLS SANCTUARY

ANTE CHAPEL
FIRE EXIT

South
Porch

SOUTH DOOR
FIRE EXIT

In the unlikely event that an emergency evacuation of the

Chapel becomes necessary, an announcement will normally
be made by either the Dean or the Chaplain. Please follow
his instructions and those of the Chapel stewards. Should
there be anyone near you requiring assistance, please help,
or draw the matter to the attention of the stewards. Please
remain in your place until you are instructed by the stew-
ards to leave the Chapel by one of the Fire Exits indicated
above. Keep calm and quiet so that additional instructions
can be heard. Once outside make your way to the muster
area on the Back Lawn next to the river where further
instructions will be given. Should you want any assistance
please speak to one of the stewards. Please attend carefully
to all announcements for your own safety and that of others.

2
 UR Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was first
held on Christmas Eve 1918. It was planned by Eric
Milner-White, who, at the age of thirty-four, had just
been appointed Dean of King’s after experience as an army
chaplain which had convinced him that the Church of
England needed more imaginative worship. (He devised our
Advent Carol Service in 1934, and was a liturgical pioneer
and authority during his twenty-two years as Dean of York.)
The music was then directed by Arthur Henry Mann,
Organist 1876–1929. The choir included sixteen trebles as
laid down in King Henry VI’s statutes, but until 1927 the
men’s voices were provided partly by Choral Scholars and
partly by older Lay Clerks, and not, as now, by fourteen
undergraduates.
A revision of the Order of Service was made in 1919,
involving rearrangement of the lessons, and from that date
the service has always begun with the hymn ‘Once in royal
David’s city’. In almost every year some carols have been
changed and some new ones introduced by successive
Organists: Arthur Henry Mann; Boris Ord, 1929–57; Harold
Darke (his substitute during the war), 1940–45; Sir David
Willcocks, 1957–73; Sir Philip Ledger, 1974–82 and, from
1982, Stephen Cleobury who, on behalf of the College, has
commissioned a new carol annually since 1983. The back-
bone of the service, the lessons and the prayers, has remained
virtually unchanged. The original service was, in fact,
adapted from an Order drawn up by E. W. Benson, later
Archbishop of Canterbury, for use in the wooden shed, which
then served as his cathedral in Truro, at 10 p.m. on Christmas
Eve 1880.
A. C. Benson recalled: ‘My father arranged from ancient
sources a little service for Christmas Eve – nine carols and
nine tiny lessons, which were read by various officers of the
Church, beginning with a chorister, and ending, through the
different grades, with the Bishop.’ Almost immediately other
churches adapted the service for their own use. A wider

3
frame began to grow when the service was first broadcast in
1928 and, with the exception of 1930, it has been broadcast
annually, even during the Second World War, when the
ancient glass (and also all heat) had been removed from the
Chapel. Sometime in the early 1930s the BBC began broad-
casting the service on overseas programmes. It is estimated
that there are millions of listeners worldwide, including
those to Radio Four in the United Kingdom. In recent years
it has become the practice to broadcast a digital recording
on Christmas Day on Radio Three, and since 1963 a shorter
service has been filmed periodically for television.
Recordings of carols by Decca and EMI have also served to
spread its fame.
In these and other ways the service has become public
property. From time to time the College receives copies of
services held, for example, in the West Indies or the Far East,
and these show how widely the tradition has spread. The
broadcasts, too, have become part of Christmas for many
far from Cambridge. One correspondent writes that he
heard the service in a tent on the foothills of Everest;
another, in the desert. Many listen at home, busy about their
own preparations for Christmas. Visitors from all over the
world are heard to identify the Chapel as ‘the place where
the Carols are sung’.
Wherever the service is heard and however it is adapted,
whether the music is provided by choir or congregation, the
pattern and strength of the service, as Dean Milner-White
pointed out, derive from the lessons and not the music. ‘The
main theme is the development of the loving purposes of
God …’ seen ‘through the windows and words of the Bible’.
Local interests appear, as they do here, in the bidding prayer;
and personal circumstances give point to different parts of
the service. Many of those who took part in the first service
must have recalled those killed in the Great War when it
came to the famous passage ‘all those who rejoice with us,
but on another shore and in a greater light’. The centre of
the service is still found by those who ‘go in heart and mind’
and who consent to follow where the story leads.

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 EHOLD: the father is his daughter’s son:
The bird that built the nest, is hatched therein:
The old of years, an hour hath not outrun:
Eternal life, to live doth now begin.
The Word is dumb: the mirth of heaven doth weep:
Might feeble is: and force doth faintly creep.

O dying souls, behold your living Spring:

O dazzled eyes, behold your Son of Grace:
Dull ears, attend what word this Word doth bring:
Up, heavy hearts: with joy your joy embrace.
From death, from dark, from deafness, from despairs:
This life, this light, this Word, this joy repairs.

Gift better than Himself, God doth not know:

Gift better than his God, no man can see:
This gift doth here the giver Given bestow:
Gift to this gift let each receiver be.
God is my gift, Himself he freely gave me:
God’s gift am I, and none but God shall have me.

Man altered was by sin from man to beast:

Beasts’ food is hay, hay is all mortal flesh:
Now God is flesh, and lies in Manger pressed
As hay, the brutest sinner to refresh.
O happy field wherein this fodder grew,
Whose taste doth us from beasts to men renew.
R O B E RT S O U T H W E L L

5
 At the request of the BBC
the service starts a little after 3 p.m.

In order not to spoil the service for other members of the

congregation and radio listeners, please do not talk or cough
unless it is absolutely necessary. Please turn off chiming
digital watches and mobile phones.

KING’S COLLEGE CHOIR

The Director of Music, Stephen Cleobury, is always
pleased to receive enquiries from potential choristers,
choral and organ scholars. For details, please
telephone him (01223 331224), write to him at:
King’s College, Cambridge CB2 1ST
or e-mail: choir@kings.cam.ac.uk

The next auditions for choristerships

are on 28 January, 2006.

6
¶ The congregation is silent during the organ music
before the service.

Prelude & Fugue in C major B W V 547 J. S . B AC H

L’Annonciation Op. 7 no. 1 JEAN LANGLAIS

Variations on ‘King Jesus hath a garden’

Op. 39 no. 10 FLOR PEETERS

Adoratio J E A N - J AC QU E S G R U N E N WA L D

Canonic Variations on
‘Vom Himmel hoch’ BWV 769 J. S . B AC H

From ‘La Nativité du Seigneur’ OLIVIER MESSIAEN

Les Enfants de Dieu
Les Anges
Les Mages

Allein Gott in der Höh’ sei Ehr B W V 676 J. S . B AC H

From ‘La Nativité du Seigneur’ OLIVIER MESSIAEN

Desseins Eternels

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P RO C E S S I O N A L H Y M N

¶ The congregation stands as the choir and clergy

proceed from the vestry to the west door, so that all
may be silent when the hymn starts. All join in
singing the last four verses of the hymn.

Solo NCE in royal David’s city

Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.

Choir He came down to earth from heaven,

Who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable,
And his cradle was a stall;
With the poor and mean and lowly,
Lived on earth our Saviour holy.

All And through all his wondrous childhood

He would honour and obey,
Love and watch the lowly maiden,
In whose gentle arms he lay;
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as he.

All For he is our childhood’s pattern,

Day by day like us he grew,
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us he knew;
And he feeleth for our sadness,
And he shareth in our gladness.
8
All And our eyes at last shall see him,
Through his own redeeming love,
For that child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above;
And he leads his children on
To the place where he is gone.

All Not in that poor lowly stable,

With the oxen standing by,
We shall see him; but in heaven,
Set at God’s right hand on high;
When like stars his children crowned
All in white shall wait around.
Words, C . F. A L E X A N D E R
Melody, H . J. G AU N T L E T T
Harm., H . J. G AU N T L E T T
and A . H . M A N N
Descant, S . J. C L E O B U RY
Encore Publications

9
B I D D I N G P R AY E R

¶ Then, all standing, this bidding prayer is said.

The Dean

B E L O V E D I N C H R I S T , be it this Christmas Eve our care

and delight to prepare ourselves to hear again the message
of the angels: in heart and mind to go even unto Bethlehem
and see this thing which is come to pass, and the Babe lying
in a manger.

Let us read and mark in Holy Scripture the tale of the loving
purposes of God from the first days of our disobedience unto
the glorious Redemption brought us by this Holy Child; and
let us make this chapel, dedicated to Mary, his most blessed
Mother, glad with our carols of praise:

But first let us pray for the needs of his whole world; for
peace and goodwill over all the earth; for unity and brother-
hood within the Church he came to build, and especially
in the dominions of our sovereign lady Queen Elizabeth,
within this University and City of Cambridge, and in the
two royal and religious Foundations of King Henry VI here
and at Eton:

And because this of all things would rejoice his heart, let us
at this time remember in his name the poor and the help-
less, the cold, the hungry and the oppressed; the sick in body
and in mind and them that mourn; the lonely and the
unloved; the aged and the little children; and all who know
not the Lord Jesus.

Lastly let us remember before God all those who rejoice with
us, but upon another shore and in a greater light, that multi-
tude which no man can number, whose hope was in the
Word made flesh, and with whom, in this Lord Jesus, we for
evermore are one.

10
These prayers and praises let us humbly offer up to the
throne of heaven, in the words which Christ himself hath
taught us: Our Father …

All

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy

name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, in earth as
it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And
forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that
trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil. Amen.

The Dean

The Almighty God bless us with his grace: Christ give us the
joys of everlasting life: and unto the fellowship of the citi-
zens above may the King of Angels bring us all.

All Amen.

¶ The congregation sits.

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C A RO L

H AT sweeter music can we bring

Than a carol, for to sing
The birth of this our heav’nly King?
Awake the voice! Awake the string!
Dark and dull night, fly hence away,
And give the honour to this day
That sees December turn’d to May.

Why does the chilling winter’s morn

Smile, like a field beset with corn?
Or smell like a meadow newly shorn
Thus on the sudden? Come and see
The cause, why things thus fragrant be:
’Tis he is born, whose quickening birth
Gives life and lustre, public mirth,
To heaven and the under earth.

We see him come, and know him ours,

Who, with his sunshine and his showers,
Turns all the patient ground to flowers,
The darling of the world is come,
And fit it is, we find a room
To welcome him. The nobler part
Of all the house here, is the heart,

Which we will give him; and bequeath

This holly, and this ivy wreath,
To do him honour, who’s our King,
And Lord of all this revelling.

[What sweeter music can we bring

Than a carol, for to sing
The birth of this our heavenly King?]
Words, R . H E R R I C K
Music, J. R U T T E R
Oxford University Press

This carol was commissioned by the College

for the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in .
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FIRST LESSON

READER: A CHORISTER

God tells sinful Adam that he has lost the life

of Paradise and that his seed will bruise the
serpent’s head. GENESIS 3

ND they heard the voice of the L o r d God walking in

the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his
wife hid themselves from the presence of the L o r d
God amongst the trees of the garden. And the L o r d God
called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And
he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid,
because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who
told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree,
whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And
the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me,
she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the L o r d God
said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And
the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
And the L o r d God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast
done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every
beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt
thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between
thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it
shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. And
unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the
voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I
commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is
the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the
days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth
to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat
of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the
ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and
unto dust shalt thou return.

Thanks be to God.

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C A RO L

EMEMBER, O thou man,

O thou man, O thou man,
Remember, O thou man,
Thy time is spent:
Remember, O thou man,
How thou art dead and gone,
And I did what I can:
Therefore repent!

Remember Adam’s fall,

O thou man, O thou man,
Remember Adam’s fall
From heaven to hell!
Remember Adam’s fall,
How we were condemed all
In hell perpetual,
There for to dwell.

Remember God’s goodnesse,

O thou man, O thou man,
Remember God’s goodnesse,
And his promise made!
Remember God’s goodnesse,
How he sent his Sonne, doubtlesse,
Our sinnes for to redresse:
Be not afraid!
Words, 16T H C E N T U RY
Music, T. R AV E N S C R O F T
Oxford University Press

14
C A RO L

lay ybounden,
DA M
Bounden in a bond;
Four thousand winter
Thought he not too long.

And all was for an apple,

An apple that he took,
As clerkès finden
Written in their book.

Ne had the apple taken been,

The apple taken been,
Ne had never our lady
Abeen heavenè queen.

Blessèd be the time

That apple taken was,
Therefore we moun singen,
Deo gracias!
Words, 15T H C E N T U RY
Music, B. O R D
Oxford University Press

15
SECOND LESSON

READER: A CHORAL SCHOLAR

God promises to faithful Abraham that in his

seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed. G E N E S I S 22

ND the angel of the L O R D called unto Abraham out of

heaven the second time, and said, By myself have I
sworn, saith the L O R D , for because thou hast done
this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that
in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply
thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is
upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his
enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Thanks be to God.

16
ANTHEM

O D so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten

Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not
his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the
world through him might be saved.
Words, J O H N 3. 16,17
Music, J. S TA I N E R
from T H E C R U C I F I X I O N
Novello

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C A RO L

N dulci jubilo
Let us our homage shew;
Our heart’s joy reclineth
In praesepio,
And like a bright star shineth
Matris in gremio.
Alpha es et O!

O Jesu parvule,
I yearn for thee alway;
Listen to my ditty,
O Puer optime,
Have pity on me, pity,
O princeps gloriae!
Trahe me post te!

O Patris caritas,
O Nati lenitas!
Deeply were we stainèd
Per nostra crimina;
But thou hast for us gainèd
Coelorum gaudia.
O that we were there!

Ubi sunt gaudia, where,

If that they be not there?
There are angels singing
Nova cantica,
There the bells are ringing
In Regis curia:
O that we were there!
1 4 T H C E N T U RY G E R M A N
Arr., R. L. D E P E A R S A L L
Ed., R. J AC QU E S
Oxford University Press

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THIRD LESSON

R E A D E R : A R E P R E S E N TAT I V E O F C A M B R I D G E
CHURCHES

The prophet foretells the coming of the

Saviour. ISAIAH 9

HE people that walked in darkness have seen a great

light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death,
upon them hath the light shined. For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government
shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his govern-
ment and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of
David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish
it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for
ever. The zeal of the L o r d of hosts will perform this.

Thanks be to God.

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C A RO L

Christmas night all Christians sing,

N
To hear the news the angels bring –
News of great joy, news of great mirth,
News of our merciful King’s birth.

Then why should men on earth be so sad,

Since our Redeemer made us glad,
When from our sin he set us free,
All for to gain our liberty?

When sin departs before his grace,

Then life and health come in its place;
Angels and men with joy may sing,
All for to see the new-born King.

All out of darkness we have light,

Which made the angels sing this night:
‘Glory to God and peace to men,
Now and for evermore. Amen.’
SUSSEX CAROL
Words, E N G L I S H T R A D I T I O N A L
Music arr., P. S . L E D G E R
Oxford University Press

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HYMN

¶ Sung by all, standing.

All NTO us is born a Son,

King of quires supernal:
See on earth his life begun,
Of lords the Lord eternal.

All Christ, from heaven descending low,

Comes on earth a stranger;
Ox and ass their owner know,
Becradled in the manger.

All This did Herod sore affray,

(tenor and And grievously bewilder,
bass voices So he gave the word to slay,
only) And slew the little childer.

Choir Of his love and mercy mild

This the Christmas story;
And O that Mary’s gentle child
Might lead us up to glory.

All O and A, and A and O,

Cum cantibus in choro,
Let our merry organ go,
Benedicamus Domino.
Words, 15T H C E N T U RY L AT I N
Trans., G. R. WO O DWA R D
Music, P I A E C A N T I O N E S
Arr., D. V. W I L L C O C K S
Oxford University Press

¶ The congregation sits.

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F O U RT H L E S S O N

R E A D E R : A R E P R E S E N TAT I V E O F T H E C I T Y O F
CAMBRIDGE

The peace that Christ will bring is

foreshown. I S A I A H 11

ND there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit
of the L O R D shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom
and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit
of knowledge and of the fear of the L O R D ; and shall make
him of quick understanding in the fear of the L O R D . With
righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with
equity for the meek of the earth. The wolf also shall dwell
with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and
a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall
feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion
shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play
on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his
hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy
in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the L O R D , as the waters cover the sea.

Thanks be to God.

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C A RO L

TENDER shoot has started up

From a root of grace,
As ancient seers imparted
From Jesse’s holy race;
It blooms without a blight,
Blooms in the cold bleak winter,
Turning our darkness into light.

This shoot, Isaiah taught us,

From Jesse’s root should spring;
The Virgin Mary brought us
The branch of which we sing:
Our God of endless might
Gave her this child to save us,
Thus turning darkness into light.
Words and music, O. G O L D S C H M I D T
Trans., W. B A RT H O L O M E W
Gamut Distribution

23
C A RO L

SPOTLESS Rose is blowing,

Sprung from a tender root,
Of ancient seers’ foreshowing,
Of Jesse promised fruit;
Its fairest bud unfolds to light
Amid the cold, cold winter,
And in the dark midnight.

The Rose which I am singing,

Whereof Isaiah said,
Is from its sweet root springing
In Mary, purest Maid;
For, through our God’s great love and might,
The blessèd Babe she bare us
In a cold, cold winter’s night.

¶ The second verse is repeated.

Words, 15T H C E N T U RY G E R M A N
Trans., C . W I N K WO RT H
Music, H . H OW E L L S
Stainer & Bell

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FIFTH LESSON

R E A D E R : A R E P R E S E N TAT I V E O F E T O N C O L L E G E

The angel Gabriel salutes the Blessed

Virgin Mary. ST LUKE 1

ND in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from

God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a
virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And
the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art
highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou
among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at
his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation
this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary:
for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou
shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt
call his name J E S U S . He shall be great, and shall be called
the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto
him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over
the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall
be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this
be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and
said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and
the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore
also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called
the Son of God. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of
the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel
departed from her.

Thanks be to God.

25
C A RO L

DI beo thu, heuene quene,

Folkes froure and engles blis,
Moder unwemmed and maiden clene –
Swich in world non other nis.
On thé hit is wel eth sene
Of alle wimmen thu hauest thet pris;
Mi swete leuedi, her mi béne
And reu of mé yif thi wille is.

Thu asteghe so the daiy-rewe

The deleth from the deorke nicht,
Of thee sprong á leóme newe
That al this world haueth ilight.
Nis non maide of thine heowe
Swo fair, so sschene, so rudi, swo bricht;
Swete leuedi, of me thu reowe
And have merci of thin knicht.

Tho godes sune alighte wolde

On eórthe al for ure sake,
Herre teyen he him nolde
Thene that maide to beon his make.
Betere ne mighte hé, thaigh he wolde,
Ne sweture thing on eórthe take.
Leuedi, bring ús to thine bolde
And sschild ús from helle wrake.
[ T R A N S L AT I O N

26
Blessed be you, Queen of Heaven
Peoples’ comfort and angels’ bliss,
Spotless mother and pure maiden,
Such as no other in the world is.
In you it can easily be seen
That over all other women you bear the prize.
My sweet lady hear my plea
And take pity on me if it be your will.

You rose up like day-break

That cuts off the dark night.
From you sprang a new gleam of light
That has lit all the world.
There is no maiden of your complexion
So fair, so beautiful, so rosy, so bright.
My sweet lady, take pity on me
And have mercy on your knight.

When God wished to alight

On earth, all for our sake,
He wished for no one nobler
Than for that maiden to be his spouse.
He could not have done better, even though he had wished to,
Nor could he have taken a sweeter thing on earth.
Lady, bring us to your dwelling place.
And shield us from the suffering of sin.
Words and music, 1 3 T H C E N T U RY E N G L I S H
Trans., N. ZEEMAN

27
C A RO L

ROCEDENTI puero
Eya, nobis annus est!
Virginis ex utero
Gloria! Laudes!
Deus homo factus est et immortalis.

Sine viri semine

Natus est de virgine:

Sine viri copia

Natus est ex Maria:

In hoc festo determino

Benedicamus Domino!

To the boy who comes forth

Yea, our year is come.
From the Virgin’s womb:
Glory! Praises!
God is become man and immortal.

Without a man’s seed

Is he born of a virgin:

Without a man’s aid

Is he born of Mary:

In this feast which has no end

Let us bless the Lord.
BENEDICAMUS DOMINO
from S L OA N E M S . 2593
from the time of H E N RY V I
Music, P. WA R L O C K
Boosey & Hawkes

28
SIXTH LESSON

READER: THE CHAPLAIN

St Luke tells of the birth of Jesus. ST LUKE 2

ND it came to pass in those days, that there went out

a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world
should be taxed. And all went to be taxed, every one
into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out
of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David,
which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and
lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife,
being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were
there, the days were accomplished that she should be deliv-
ered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped
him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because
there was no room for them in the inn.

Thanks be to God.

29
C A RO L

WEET was the song the Virgin sang,

When she to Bethlem Juda came.
And was delivered of a son,
That blessèd Jesus hath to name:

La lulla lullaby.

‘Sweet babe’, sung she, ‘my son’,

Also a Saviour born,
Who hast vouchsafed from on high
To visit us that were forlorn:
Words, W. B A L L E T
Music., D. B L AC K F O R D
Banks

30
C A RO L

O M O R R O W shall be my dancing day:

I would my true love did so chance
To see the legend of my play,
To call my true love to my dance:

Sing O my love, O my love, my love;

This have I done for my true love.

Then was I born of a virgin pure,

Of her I took fleshly substance;
Thus was I knit to man’s nature,
To call my true love to my dance:

In a manger laid and wrapped I was,

So very poor, this was my chance,
Betwixt an ox and a silly poor ass,
To call my true love to my dance:

Then afterwards baptized I was;

The Holy Ghost on me did glance,
My Father’s voice heard from above,
To call my true love to my dance:
Words, E N G L I S H T R A D I T I O N A L
Music, J. G A R D N E R
Oxford University Press

31
SEVENTH LESSON

READER: THE DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

The shepherds go to the manger. ST LUKE 2

ND there were in the same country shepherds abiding

in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them,
and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they
were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not:
for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall
be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of
David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be
a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the
angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and
saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels
were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said
one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and
see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath
made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found
Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

Thanks be to God.

32
C A RO L

WAY in a manger, no crib for a bed,

The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head;
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,

But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love thee Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,
And stay by my side until morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay

Close by me for ever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And fit us for heaven, to live with thee there.
Words, 1 9 T H C E N T U RY
Music, J. TAV E N E R

This carol has been commissioned by the College

for today’s service. The composer has included
the following texts in his manuscript:

‘... except that ye be as little children,

ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.’
JESUS CHRIST

‘In the period that we live, one can hardly hear the
voice of God except in the voice of a child...’
RAMAKRISHNA

33
HYMN

¶ Sung by all, standing.

HILE shepherds watched

their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around.

‘Fear not,’ said he (for mighty dread

Had seized their troubled mind);
‘Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind.’

‘To you in David’s town this day

Is born of David’s line
A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord,
And this shall be the sign:’

‘The heavenly Babe you there shall find

To human view displayed,
All meanly wrapped in swathing bands,
And in a manger laid.’

Thus spake the Seraph; and forthwith

Appeared a shining throng
Of angels praising God, who thus
Addressed their joyful song:

‘All glory be to God on high,

And to the earth be peace;
Goodwill henceforth from heaven to men
Begin and never cease.’
Words, N. TAT E
Music, E S T E ’ S P S A LT E R , 1592
Descant, S . J. C L E O B U RY
Encore Publications

¶ The congregation sits.

34
EIGHTH LESSON

R E A D E R : T H E AC T I N G V I C E - P ROVO S T

The wise men are led by the star to

Jesus. S T M AT T H E W 2

OW when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in

the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise
men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is
he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in
the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king
had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem
with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and
scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where
Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In
Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the prophet,
And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least
among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a
Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod,
when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them
diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to
Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young
child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again,
that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard
the king, they departed; and lo, the star, which they saw in
the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where
the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced
with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the
house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and
fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened
their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold, and
frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a
dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed
into their own country another way.

Thanks be to God.

35
C A RO L

IU, riu, chiu,

La guarda ribera:
Dios guardo el lobo
De nuestra cordera.

Ellobo rabioso
La quiso morder,
Mas Dios poderoso
La supo defender;
Quisole hazer que
No pudiesse pecar,
Ni aun original
Esta Virgen no tuviera.

Este ques naçido

Es el gran Monarcha,
Christo patriarca
De came vestido;
Hanos redimido
Con se hazer chiquito:
Aunque era infinito
Finito se hiziera.

Muchas profeçias
Lohan profetizado;
Y aun en nuestros dias
Lo hemos alcançado.
A Dios humanado
Vemos en el suelo
Y al hombre en el çielo
Porque el le quisiera.

[ T R A N S L AT I O N

36
Riu, riu, chiu, the guard [shepherd] by the river: God protected
our Ewe from the wolf.

The furious wolf tried to bite her, but almighty God protected her
well: He made her in such a way that she could know no sin, a
virgin unstained by our first father’s [Adam’s] fault.

This new-born Child is a mighty monarch, the patriarchal Christ

clothed in flesh; He redeemed us by making himself tiny : He who
was infinite became finite.

Many prophecies foretold His coming, and now in our time we

have seen them fulfilled. God became man, we see Him on earth,
and we see man in heaven because He [God] loved Him.
Words translated, H . KEYTE and A . PA R R OT T
after R. PRING-MILL
Music attrib., M AT E O FLECHA THE ELDER
Oxford University Press

37
C A RO L

Emerry, be merry, I pray you,

Be merry every one.

A principal point of charity,

It is merry to be
In Him that is but One.

For He that is but One in bliss

To us hath sent His son, y wis,
To save us from our fone*.

For of a maiden a Child was born,

To save mankind that was forlorn.
Man, think thereon.

Now Mary, for thy Son His sake,

Save them all that mirth do make,
And hold the longest on.

*fone = plural of ‘foe’

Words, 15T H C E N T U RY
Music, S . J. C L E O B U RY

This carol was commissioned by the

Worshipful Company of Musicians in  for the
Company’s annual carol service at St Michael’s
Church, Cornhill, London.

38
NINTH LESSON

R E A D E R : T H E P ROVO S T

St John unfolds the great mystery of the

Incarnation. ST JOHN 1

N the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. The same was in the begin-
ning with God. All things were made by him; and
without him was not any thing made that was made. In him
was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light
shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The
same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all
men through him might believe. He was not that light, but
was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light,
which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He
was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the
world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own
received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave
he power to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld
his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full
of grace and truth.

Thanks be to God.

39
CHORALE

O M Himmel hoch da komm ich her,

Ich bring euch gute neue Mär,
Der gutem Mär bring ich so viel,
Davon ich sing’n und sagen will.

From heaven above to earth I come

To bear good news to every home;
Glad tidings of great joy I bring,
Whereof I now will say and sing.
Words, E . M U L L E R
Trans., C . W I N K WO RT H
Music, J. S . B AC H
from M AG N I F I C AT B W V 243a
Bärenreiter

40
HYMN

¶ Sung by all, standing. In verses 1 and 2 the first two

lines of the refrain are sung by upper voices only.
COME, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him,
Born the King of Angels.

O come, let us adore him,

O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

God of God,
Light of Light,
Lo! he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Very God,
Begotten, not created.

Sing, choirs of angels,

Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
‘Glory to God
In the highest’.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee,

Born this happy morning,
Jesu, to thee be glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing:
ADESTE FIDELES
Words trans., F. OA K E L E Y
Melody, J. F. WA D E
Descant, S . J. C L E O B U RY
Encore Publications

41
COLLECT & BLESSING

¶ All remain standing.

The Dean The Lord be with you.

All And with thy spirit.

The Dean Let us pray.

O G O D , who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance

of the birth of thy only son, Jesus Christ: Grant that as we
joyfully receive him for our redeemer, so we may with sure
confidence behold him, when he shall come to be our judge;
who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one
God, world without end.

All Amen.

The Dean

C H R I S T , who by his Incarnation gathered into one things

earthly and heavenly, fill you with peace and goodwill, and
make you partakers of the divine nature; and the blessing of
God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be
upon you and remain with you always.

All Amen.

42
HYMN

¶ Sung by all.

A R K ! the herald angels sing:

‘Glory to the new-born King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!’
Joyful, all ye nations rise!
Join the triumph of the skies!
With the angelic host proclaim:
‘Christ is born in Bethlehem!’
Hark! the herald angels sing:
‘Glory to the new-born King!’

Christ, by highest heaven adored,

Christ, the everlasting Lord:
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of a Virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see!
Hail the incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with man to dwell:
Jesus, our Emmanuel!

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Words, C . W E S L E Y A N D G. W H I T E F I E L D
Music, J. L . F. M E N D E L S S O H N - B A RT H O L DY
Descant, S . J. C L E O B U RY
Encore Publications

43
¶ All remain standing during the first organ voluntary,
which is being broadcast. After this the choir and
clergy are followed out in order by the stewards, the
Provost, the Mayoral party, the Acting Vice-Provost,
and Fellows of the College, with their guests.

¶ Members of the congregation who wish to leave at

this point should do so silently. Those remaining are
invited to be seated.

¶ Please do not talk during the second organ volun-

tary, which is being recorded for broadcast on
Christmas Day.

¶ After the service a retiring collection is taken

for the maintenance of the Chapel. If you prefer
to contribute by cheque, please make it payable to
King’s College Chapel Foundation and send it to
The Dean, King’s College, Cambridge CB2 1ST. Gift
aid envelopes are available.

¶ The congregation is silent during the organ music

after the service.

In dulci jubilo B W V 729 J. S . B AC H

Improvisation on ‘Adeste fideles’ F R A N C I S P OT T

This work has been commissioned for today’s

service with support from the Eric Thompson Trust
and Christopher Jonas, Esq.

44
 KING’S COLLEGE

C H A P E L F O U N DAT I O N

KING’S COLLEGE CHAPEL was begun by Henry VI in

1446 and is an important part of our national heritage. The
architectural majesty of the Chapel and the extraordinary
musical quality of the Choir are admired by millions of
people every year. The College is solely responsible for the
upkeep of the Chapel.

Sadly, over 500 years of weathering have taken their toll on

the building. The lead roof is nearing the end of its life,
with leaks causing fungal problems in the timbers below;
stonework is deteriorating, with some carved decoration
already lost; and stained glass windows, that survived the
Reformation, the Civil War and World War II, need urgent
restoration work.

King’s College Chapel Foundation was established in 1997

to safeguard and enhance the tradition of choral worship and
musical excellence through long-term support of the Choir;
to protect the Chapel through maintenance and conserva-
tion of this historic structure, its fabric and furnishings; and
to enhance visitors’ experience of the Chapel and its daily
services.

45
H O W YO U C A N H E L P

For information about becoming a Supporter of King’s

College Chapel Foundation, please contact:

King’s College Development Office,

King’s College, Cambridge CB2 1ST
Tel 01223 331313 Fax 01223 331347
Email development.office@kings.cam.ac.uk

Dean
THE REVD IAN THOMPSON

Chaplain
T H E R E V D R I C H A R D L L OY D M O R G A N

Director of Music
S T E P H E N C L E O B U RY

Organ Scholars
TO M W I N P E N N Y
OLIVER BRETT

46
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