Christmas has just Begun! 26th December 2013   Nine Lessons and Carols was sung in the candlelit, festive and pious beauty of the Church and thoroughly enjoyed by the congregation. All Saints first held a service of Nine Lessons and Carols during the ministry of Canon Trevor Lewis who had come to All Saints from Truro. Wherever the service is heard and however it is adapted, whether the music is provided by the choir or congregation, the pattern and strength of the service derives from the lessons and not the music. The centre of the service is still found by those who “go in heart and mind” and who consent to follow where the story leads. The proceeds from this year’s service were donated to the Hope Centre, which supports up to one hundred homeless and socially disadvantaged people every day. The people using the centre need help for many reasons – from alcohol and drug addictions, to family breakdowns and mental health issues; most have been homeless at some time in their lives. The Hope Centre also has a programme of education, training and development. This builds self-esteem and enables the centre’s clients to take on responsibility, hopefully leading to community volunteering and employment. All Saints Church is proud to support this worthwhile charity. The service began with organ music performed by our Travis Organ Fellow including Balbastre, Bach, Mawby and Vaughan Williams to name but a few. A perfect selection of hymns and carols followed, the particular highlights being the Robert Walker carol commissioned by All Saints for this service in 2003 which sets the text of Gerard Manly Hopkins’ poem Moonless darkness stands between and carols featured on Christmas CDs recorded by All Saints, including David Bednall Noe! Noe!, Gerald Near’s arrangement of Tomorrow shall be my dancing day and the late John Tavener’s The Lamb. The order of service for Nine Lessons and Carols can be downloaded here.       Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve was a wonderful service where the girls’ and men’s choirs were joined by alumni and instrumentalists to sing Richard Shephard’s Mass of the Nativity and arrangements of the popular carols O Holy Night and Still, Still, Still. These last two carols will be recorded on the choir’s next carol CD, Be Merry! The festivities were marked in a somewhat unusual fashion when during the final procession to the crib, the incense set off the Church smoke alarm! On Christmas Day, the boys managed to contain their excitement, and together with the men, sang Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit, an arrangement of I saw three ships (also to be featured on the choir’s next recording) and the stunning title track of the Choir’s most recent Christmas CD – Carol of Joy by Dan Forrest. This can be purchased here.   Finally, our annual Christmas organ recital this year featured three organists on three organs! Our illustrious Director of Music, Lee Dunleavy, performed on the Gallery Organ, our Travis Organ Fellow, Hilary Punnett on the Lady Chapel Organ and our Parish Priest, Father McConkey (a Yale music graduate) the Chancel Organ. Like all our Christmas services and events this was very well attended, and the repertoire - which included nods to our on-going Rage and Romance series in Guilmant’s Final alla Schumann and Liszt’s Die Hirten an der Krippe (In dulci jubilo) – was very well received. The programme for the Christmas Organ recital can be downloaded here.