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A service of carols, hymns and readings live from the candlelit Chapel of King's College, Cambridge.

Hymn: Once in royal David's City (Irby, descant Ledger)
Bidding Prayer (read by the Dean)
Carol: Out of your sleep (Robin Nelson)
First lesson: Genesis 3 vv. 8-19 (read by a Chorister)
Carol: Adam lay ybounden (Matthew Martin)
Second lesson: Genesis 22 vv. 15-19 (read by a College student)
Carol: Illuminare Jerusalem (Judith Weir)
Third lesson: Isaiah 9 vv. 2, 6-7 (read by a member of College staff)
Carol: O radiant dawn (James MacMillan)
Hymn: O Little town of Bethlehem (Forest Green, descant Armstrong)
Fourth lesson: Isaiah 11 vv. 1-9 (read by the Master over the Choristers)
Carol: King Jesus hath a garden (Trad. Dutch arr. Wood, Cleobury)
Carol: A spotless rose (Philip Ledger)
Fifth lesson: Luke 1 vv. 26-38 (read by a Fellow)
Carol: Gabriel’s message (Trad. Basque, arr. Willcocks)
Carol: Hereford Carol (arr. Robinson)
Sixth lesson: Luke 2 vv. 1-7 (read by the Mayor of Cambridge)
Carol: Sir Christemas (Mathias)
Hymn: The first Nowell the angel did say (The first Nowell, arr. Willcocks)
Seventh lesson: Luke 2 vv. 8-20 (read by the Director of Music)
Carol: The Cradle (Cheryl Frances-Hoad) – 2023 Commission
Eighth lesson: Matthew 2 vv. 1-12 (read by the Vice-Provost)
Carol: All the stars looked down (John Rutter)
Carol: Benedicamus Domino (Warlock)
Ninth lesson: John 1 vv. 1-14 (read by the Provost)
Hymn: O come, all ye faithful (Adeste Fideles, arr. Willcocks, Daniel Hyde)
Collect and Blessing
Hymn: Hark, the herald angels sing (Mendelssohn, arr. Willcocks)

Organ voluntaries:
In dulci jubilo, BWV 729 (Bach)
Dieu parmi nous (Messiaen)

Daniel Hyde (Director of Music)
Paul Greally (Organ Scholar)
The Revd Dr Stephen Cherry (Dean)
The Revd Dr Mary Kells (Chaplain)

For millions listening around the world, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, live from the candlelit Chapel of King's College, Cambridge, marks the beginning of Christmas. The service is based around nine Bible readings which tell the story of the loving purposes of God. They are interspersed with carols old and new, sung by the world-famous Chapel choir who also lead the congregation in traditional Christmas hymns.

A new work has been commissioned for the Christmas Eve service every year since 1983, and this year Cheryl Frances-Hoad has written ‘The Cradle’, a setting of an English translation by Robert Graves of an anonymous seventeenth century Austrian text.

A number of pieces by twentieth century composers such as Robin Nelson, Matthew Martin, Judith Weir, James MacMillian, Philip Ledger, William Mathias, and Peter Warlock, sit alongside traditional carols in arrangements by David Willcocks and Christopher Robinson. The service also includes the carol ‘All the stars looked down’, composed by John Rutter in memory of the former Director of Music at King’s, Stephen Cleobury.

Producer: Ben Collingwood