Everyone falls silent in the medieval chapel … the choral director makes his selection … on cue, one young boy's high a cappella voice pierces hearts across the globe. The stark purity of the sound signals the start of one of the world's—and one of Minnesota Public Radio's—longest-running yuletide traditions: A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

It was former MPR Vice President of Programming Nicholas Nash who initiated the Minnesota Public Radio tradition of broadcasting the annual King's College Christmas service from Cambridge, England. Since its first transatlantic relay 22 years ago, the MPR broadcast (produced in conjunction with the BBC) has become a holiday hallmark across the country.

The Three Kings (Poem set to music for the 2000 service) The first king was very young,   O balow, balow la lay, With doleful ballads on his tongue,   O balow, balow la lay, He came bearing a branch of myrrh Than which no gall is bitterer,   O balow, balow la lay,   Gifts for a baby King, O. The second king was a man in prime,   O balow, balow la lay, The solemn priest of a solemn time,   O balow, balow la lay, With eyes downcast and reverent feet He brought his incense sad and sweet,   O balow, balow la lay,   Gifts for a baby King, O. The third king was very old,   O balow, balow la lay, Both his hands were full of gold,   O balow, balow la lay, Many a gaud and glittering toy, Baubles brave for a baby boy,   O balow, balow la lay,   Gifts for a baby King, O. —Dorothy Sayers

Although Nash's first radio production went off without any technical or logistical hitches, the real success of the broadcast became clear a few days later, with the arrival of listener mail. Jubilant notes of praise and moving personal stories poured in from all over the country. Commentary from the people whose lives the broadcast had touched "made it clear that this service from a chapel far away in distance and quite removed from the American tradition had spoken to people's hearts in a unique way," said Nash.

A Choir Fit for a King
When 19-year-old Henry VI founded King's College in 1441, he envisioned daily services sung by a choir of men and boys inside a magnificent chapel. This regal vision continues today, as 14 undergraduate choral scholars and two organ scholars (all of whom study a variety of subjects at the college) have joined the 16 young choristers (educated on generous scholarships at the College School) whose positions were established by royal decree. These 30 voices and two accompanists still sing regular services beneath the fan-vaulted ceiling of King Henry's glorious chapel.

The origins of the world-famous Christmas Eve service itself, however, are a good deal humbler. Adapted from an 1880 order of service developed by a man who would later become the Archbishop of Canterbury, Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was a framework originally intended for performance in a wooden shed (which served as the clergyman's chapel) in his parish of Truro. Word of the unique service spread quickly, and soon several congregations had modified it for their own use.

By 1918, the service had reached King's College, thanks to a dean who believed that the Church of England needed more liturgical innovation. Ten years later the BBC began its shortwave broadcasts of the Christmas festival, and it has reached the airwaves every year thereafter (save for 1930 when a new choir director, replacing a man who'd held the post since 1876, thought the broadcast would be too daunting a task for him).

Continuing a Beloved Service
Many decades later, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols continues to delight both chapel congregations and radio listeners. While the basic structure of the service—a series of biblical readings complemented by choral interludes—has changed little, the content varies from year to year. Music Director Stephen Cleobury chooses the carols according to the scripture passages they will introduce or follow. "Music is the response to the word," he remarked. "I'm careful about the selection of the carols, making sure that there is a clear link between the lesson and music."

Cleobury, who came to King's College the year of the first digital transatlantic broadcast in 1982, has commissioned a new carol every year since 1983. This year, Jonathan Dove has set a Dorothy Sayers poem published in 1916 to music (see text at left). In 1996, Minnesota composer Stephen Paulus and English poet Kevin Crossley-Holland had their carol "Pilgrim Jesus" premiered at the service.

Despite the renown of the festival and Cleobury's attentive selection of the music, preparation for the choir's Christmas Eve performance is surprisingly brief. Beginning in October, the choir (which is made up of about one-third new members annually) sings chapel services nearly every day throughout the academic year. This "training" prepares members for yuletide rehearsals, which begin in early December.

Two hours before the service, people who have spent most of the morning outside in line, sipping tea and coffee to combat the damp East Anglian chill, are allowed into the chapel. There's no special seasonal decorating inside. According to the director, this is to "let the medieval edifice, the stone and the richly colored glass speak for themselves."

A Gift to All
Although the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is officially a holiday offering from King's College to the city of Cambridge, it has evolved into a gift to the entire world—a peculiar and delightful present that never fails to surprise and enchant us despite its regular arrival year after year.

Yet, as Nash—who first delivered the offering to an American audience—reminds us, it is both the choir and the listeners that make the service so memorable: "For about an hour and a half on Christmas Eve, listeners from around the world are part of a remarkable congregation … who contemplate the meaning of the words and music … from a college chapel, at an ancient and noble university in an old market town in England. What a remarkable gift to us that is …. Equally amazing that we receive it so happily."

Photographs courtesy of King's College. Used with permission.