Telling the Christmas story in words and music: the development of and contemporary missional value of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols within cathedrals

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the development of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, considers how in this context the Christmas story is told in word and music, and examines how this service contributes to the Church’s mission of proclaiming the story of faith today. It focuses on the initial development of the service in Truro 1880, its subsequent adaptation at King’s College, Cambridge, and how the tradition is reflected in and developed throughout the twentieth and twenty-first century, using examples from four Cathedrals in England: Coventry, Salisbury, Durham, and Truro. This paper shows how, with adaption and careful planning, this service can continue to be used as a missional tool to tell the story of faith in the twenty-first century.

KEYWORDS:

• Cathedral studies
• carol services
• King’s College Cambridge
• mission

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The Provost and Scholars of King’s College, Cambridge hold copyrights to the published and unpublished writings of Eric Milner-White. Quoted with permission.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Andrew Robinson

Andrew Robinson is a Head of Music at St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College, Peterlee as well as Organist and Director of Music for St Paul’s Church, Winlaton within the Diocese of Durham. He was previously Director of Music for St Giles Church, Durham and is a former Regional Music Adviser for the Royal School of Church Music. He has always had a keen interest in the use of music and text within worship and had the privilege to plan and develop services within the churches he has serviced. He holds a BMus degree (Hons) in Music from The University of Huddersfield and MA in Christian Liturgy from Sarum College/Winchester University. Andrew Robinson’s primary research interests lie in the relationships between music and text and how they together tell the story of faith within extended Services of the Word such as Festivals of Nine Lessons and Carols or Advent Processions. Andrew enjoys singing, directing choirs and is an active organist. Away from music he enjoys reading crime fiction.