In 1935, in the Memorial Chapel under the direction of the Head of Music, Dr Claude Brown, Bishops, following the King's College Cambridge format, held its first Ceremony of Nine Lessons and Carols. It has been sung at the School every year since then.
87 years later, on Wednesday 7th December 2022, the UK Branch of the ODU held the first ever Bishops Carol Service outside the School campus. All Saints Margaret Street was the venue, a beautiful church in Fitzrovia designed by William Butterfield who also designed the school chapel at Rugby (arguably the most magnificent school chapel in the UK).
Led by the choir of All Saints, the service was attended by ODs, family and friends, some Old Hiltonians and a former headboy of Paarl Boys High School (!). It included four carols composed by ODs: John Joubert's (O, 1944) There is no Rose and Torches, Grant McLachlan's (F, 1973) Come, Colours Rise (words by Frank Barry (G, 1973)) and Dormi Jesu composed by Stephen Carletti (G, 1983). And all the old favourites (see Order of Service at the bottom of this post).
Eight of lessons were read by ODs (as is tradition, the Vicar reads the ninth) and those readers were:
- Paul Murray (ODU Ambassador)
- Jonathan Frost (S, 2016)
- Thomas Withington (W, 2000)
- Caelim Parkes (O, 1990)
- Nick Boswell (S, 2010)
- Jeremy Friedlander (F, 1972)
- Niall Carroll (O, 1981)
- Nicky Bicket (F, 1973)
In this glorious church where we sang from candle-lit service sheets, from the beautiful soprano solo of the first verse of Once in Royal David's City, through the soaring descants of the much-loved carols we sang at School, to the (by popular demand) thundering recessional, the Widor Toccata, it was a truly beautiful and uplifting occasion.
Mulled wine and mince pies were served afterwards and, if that were even necessary after the magnificent singing - congregation included! - that fortified us for our homeward journey. London is very cold at this time of the year and for once, singing In the Bleak Midwinter we, as UK ODs, don't anymore have to rely on our imagination as to what that really means.
This was the inaugural out-of-Cape Town Bishops/ODU Carol Service; it was a resounding success and will most certainly be on our calendar next year. Wednesday 6th December, back at All Saints. Make a note.
To watch and listen to the carols composed by our ODs, click on the titles below:
TORCHES by John Joubert
DORMI JESU by Stephen Carletti
COME, COLOURS RISE by Grant McLachlan
THERE IS NO ROSE by John Joubert
and
HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING followed by the Widor Toccata
Please click on the photos to enlarge/download
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| The lighting of the candles before the start of the service |
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| The choir singing the opening carol |
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| Fr Peter Anthony, Vicar of All Saints Margaret Street, saying the Bidding Prayer |
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| The OD readers (clockwise from top left): Paul Murray, Jonathan Frost (S, 2016), Thomas Withington (W, 2000) Caelim Parkes (O, 1990), Nicky Bicket (F, 1973), Niall Carroll (O, 1981), Jeremy Friedlander (F, 1972 and Nick Boswell (S, 2010) |
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| The Choir recess |
AFTERWARDS
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| Mince pies and mulled wine de rigueur |
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| Paul Murray and Peter (W, 1965) and Diana Arthur |
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| Anthony Record MBE (S, 1956) and Caelim Parkes (O, 1990) |
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| Peter Robinson (S, 1966) and John Battersby (W, 1966) |
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| Michael Starke (K, 1996) and Virgil Parenzee (O, 1996) |
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| Robert Simpson (S, 1968), Jeremy Friedlander (F, 1972) and Verne Grinstead (PBHS, 1972). Sally Simpson with back to the camera |
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| Rob White-Cooper (S, 1961) and Debs Morris |
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| James Husband (G, 2010), Nick Boswell (S, 2010) and Guy Whitfield (F, 2010) |
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| Brian Mannion (S, 1979) |
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| Caelim Parkes (O, 1990), Maida Shivik and Adrian Bottega (W, 2000) |
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| Niall Carroll (O, 1981) and John Parker-Wood (G, 1960) |
THE ORDER OF SERVICE
