Last December, thousands of churches extended ‘The Great Invitation’ from the Church of England to Follow the Star to their local church in person once again. This year’s theme – Follow the Star: Join the Song – highlights how singing can help draw us closer to God and each other through the journey from Advent to Epiphany.
We want you to get involved. We're inviting choirs across cathedrals, churches, schools and communities to ‘join the song’ alongside one of the country's leading choral composers in a new interpretation of the beloved carol The First Nowell with a brand new melody.
The carol is a new setting of the well-loved text The First Nowell, written by renowned composer Bob Chilcott for choirs across the Church of England to perform for Christmas 2023.
Resources
Download the free resources designed to help choirs of all ages and stages learn and perform the carol - including collective worship resources and learning tracks recorded by St Martin’s Voices in the Chapel of Lambeth Palace.
The First Nowell
- Unison version (including upper voices)
- SATB learning tracks for choirs (full version, soprano, alto, tenor, bass)
- Backing tracks (organ and piano)
- Musical score*
- Lyric sheet
- Guitar chords
- Video learning tracks
Collective worship resources
- Sign up to receive the collective worship resources for schools (including ideas for use in homes and in churches).
Other resources
- Download a ‘Scratch’ Crib Service template – this service tells the Christmas story using the rhyming Nativity Clare Williams has written for the Advent calendar. It is designed to be used at a service or assembly to involve those present – especially children – in telling the story of the first Christmas.
- Download all the Advent Calendar daily activities – this file provides the full text of the daily Advent Calendar content in one document, ideal for planning and using with children and families at church or at school.
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*This free downloadable version of the score has been licensed by Oxford University Press for use by Church of England schools, places of worship and chaplaincies only in 2023.
Any schools and places of worship not affiliated with the Church of England are very welcome to learn and perform the carol provided they purchase and perform from scores as published by Oxford University Press.