St. John’s Cathedral 256 E Church St, Jacksonville, Florida 32202
In the tradition of Kings College Cambridge, England, St. John’s Cathedral Choir invites you to join them on New Year’s Eve for a beautiful service of Choral music and Scripture by the St. John’s Cathedral Choir, under the direction of Organist and Canon for Music Timothy Tuller. It is a wonderful way to wrap up 2017 and begin the New Year. Free admission and open to the public.
Additional information about the event from Tim Tuller, Canon for Music
Every New Year’s Eve at 5 p.m. at St. John’s Cathedral, we have a long annual tradition of offering one of the most beautiful Christmas services in the Anglican tradition, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. This service is a journey in music and scripture through the story of salvation: the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus. The service consists of nine short Bible readings, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols, hymns and choral music.
The history of this service dates back to 1878 in England. That year, the Royal Cornwall Gazette reported that the choir of Truro Cathedral would sing a service of carols at 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve:
The Choir of the Cathedral will sing a number of carols in the Cathedral on Christmas Eve, the service commencing at 10 p.m. We understand that this is at the wish of many of the leading parishioners and others. A like service has been instituted in other cathedral and large towns, and has been much appreciated. It is the intention of the choir to no longer continue the custom of singing carols at the residences of members of the congregation.
In 1880, Edward Benson, Bishop of Truro in Cornwall, formalized the service with Nine Lessons for use on Christmas Eve. The first service took place at 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve of that year in the temporary wooden structure which was serving as the cathedral while the new cathedral was being built. The service has subsequently been in continuous use in Truro since 1880.
The well-known Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge, was first held on Christmas Eve in 1918. It was introduced by Eric Milner-White, the Dean of the College, who believed that more imaginative worship was needed by the Church of England. The order of service was adapted from the order created for Truro Cathedral 38 years earlier. The King’s College service was first broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1928, and has been broadcast every year since except for 1930. It is this service which serves as the model for our Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols here at St. John’s Cathedral.
This year, our service includes a diverse mixture of well-known carols and wonderful new compositions, spanning a period of five centuries. For more information on the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, visit the Friends of Music at St. John’s Cathedral Facebook page. For future services of music at St. John’s Cathedral, visit our Music page.
It is always a joy to bring in the new year with scripture and song!
Tim Tuller, Canon for Music