''Christmas Lullaby'' is a popular sacred choral composition by John Rutter, a lullaby for Christmas. He wrote his own text, beginning "Clear in the darkness", three stanzas with the refrain "Ave Maria" ("Hail Mary"). Rutter scored the piece for four vocal parts ( SATB) and piano, adding other versions. He composed it on a 1989 commission from

The Bach Choir The Bach Choir is a large independent musical organisation founded in London, England in 1876 to give the first performance of J. S. Bach's ''Mass in B minor'' in Britain. The choir has around 240 active members. Directed by David Hill MBE ( Yal ...

for the celebration of the 70th birthday of their conductor

David Willcocks Sir David Valentine Willcocks, (30 December 1919 – 17 September 2015) was a British choral conductor, organist, composer and music administrator. He was particularly well known for his association with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge ...

. It was first performed at the choir's Christmas concert at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in London, an event that Rutter knew from being a member of the audience as a boy. The work was published by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

in 1990. It was published in a German edition, ''Weihnachts-Wiegenlied'', with a text translated by Alex Brendelmeier, by

Bärenreiter Bärenreiter (Bärenreiter-Verlag) is a German classical music publishing house based in Kassel. The firm was founded by Karl Vötterle (1903–1975) in Augsburg in 1923, and moved to Kassel in 1927, where it still has its headquarters; it also ...

in 1998. It became part of the ''John Rutter Anniversary Edition''. ''Christmas Lullaby'' has been recorded several times, notably with the composer conducting the

Cambridge Singers The Cambridge Singers is an English mixed voice chamber choir formed in 1981 by their director John Rutter with the primary purpose of making recordings under their own label Collegium Records. The group initially comprised former singers from ...

on an album ''The John Rutter Christmas Album''. It was also sung by the chamber choir Polyphony with the

City of London Sinfonia City of London Sinfonia (CLS) is an English chamber orchestra based in London. CLS performs regularly across the city of London in venues from East London clubs to traditional Central London concert halls. CLS is orchestra-in-residence at Opera ...

, conducted by

Stephen Layton Stephen David Layton (born 23 December 1966) is an English conductor. Biography Layton was raised in Derby, where his father was a church organist. He was a chorister at Winchester Cathedral, and subsequently won scholarships to Eton College a ...

Text and music

Rutter, who composed many works to celebrate Christmas, wrote his own text for ''Christmas Lullaby'', beginning "Clear in the darkness a light shines in Bethlehem". He alludes to several aspects of the Christmas story, with a focus on combining reverence for the baby and for Mary, his mother, with the traditional words "Ave Maria" (

Hail Mary The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's ...

). Marked ''Andante legato'', the music is in

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...

and time. In the first stanza, the women's voices in unison sing of the angels, the men's voices of the

wise men Wise men or wise man may refer to: * Biblical Magi, who follow the Star of Bethlehem in the New Testament * Sage (philosophy), a person who attained wisdom * Sanxing (deities), personified deities of good fortune, prosperity, and longevity in Chin ...

. In four-part homophony, marked ''

pianissimo In music, the dynamics of a piece is the variation in loudness between notes or phrases. Dynamics are indicated by specific musical notation, often in some detail. However, dynamics markings still require interpretation by the performer dependin ...

'', all voices hail Mary, growing to mezzoforte in a second greeting. The second stanza, which switches the entrances of men and women, is focused on the King in the manger. In the third stanza, all are called to revere "with hearts full of love." The "Ave Maria" returns, this last time with some counterpoint for a climax, but ending in the same soft homophony as before.

References

External links

Rutter – Christmas Lullaby
St Mary's Singers {{italic title Compositions by John Rutter 1990 compositions Choral compositions