As you may know, I love a good Christmas Eve
service of Lessons and Carols. (Here
you may find a good summary of the origins of this format at Truro.) And when a chosen solo chorister
bravely commences the glorious Nine Lessons and Carols in the Chapel of King’s
College Cambridge, Christmas for me begins.
And, of course, I will be listening tomorrow morning when allergies will no doubt make me teary-eyed.
However, there is a contrary opinion about such
services:
By
and large, however, loyal churchmen agree that it is better not to attend
services of Nine Lessons and Carols, even if your favourite nephew is singing
in the choir. However beautiful the music, nine carols is far too many for a
single evening, and the meretricious extravagance of Lessons and Carols cannot
compare to the simple beauty of a Christmastide service of Said Matins and
Commination.
Whether you celebrate the Nativity of our Lord with
Nine Lessons or with a heartfelt Commination, may you have a Happy Christmas.
No comments:
Post a Comment