John Milford Rutter (born 24 September 1945) is an English composer, conductor, editor, arranger, and record producer, mainly of choral music.
Biography
Born on 24 September 1945 in London, the son of an industrial chemist and his wife, Rutter grew up living over the Globe pub on London's Marylebone Road. He was educated at Highgate School where fellow pupils included
John Tavener
Sir John Kenneth Tavener (28 January 1944 – 12 November 2013) was an English composer, known for his extensive output of choral religious works. Among his best known works are '' The Lamb'' (1982), ''The Protecting Veil'' (1988), and '' Song ...
,
Howard Shelley
Howard Gordon Shelley (born 9 March 1950) is a British pianist and conductor. He was educated at Highgate School and the Royal College of Music. He was married to fellow pianist Hilary Macnamara (her death), with whom he has performed and recor ...
Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...
's ''
War Requiem
The ''War Requiem'', Op. 66, is a large-scale setting of the Requiem composed by Benjamin Britten mostly in 1961 and completed in January 1962. The ''War Requiem'' was performed for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral, which was b ...
'' under the composer's baton. He then read music at
Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...
, where he was a member of the choir. While still an undergraduate, he had his first compositions published, including the Shepherd's Pipe Carol. He served as
director of music
A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the di ...
at Clare College from 1975 to 1979 and led the choir to international prominence.
In 1981, Rutter founded his own choir, 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 ...
, which he conducts and with which he has made many recordings of sacred choral repertoire (including his own works), particularly under his own label ''
Collegium Records
Collegium Records is an English classical music record label founded in 1984 by British composer and conductor John Rutter, primarily to record his work with the Cambridge Singers.Gramophone - Volume 69 Page 11 1992 "The success of Rutter's own ...
''. He resides at
Hemingford Abbots
Hemingford Abbots is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Hemingford Abbots lies approximately east of Huntingdon, and is almost continuous with neighbouring Hemingford Grey. Hemingford Abbots is situated within Huntingdonshi ...
in Cambridgeshire and frequently conducts many choirs and orchestras around the world.
From 1985 to 1992, Rutter suffered severely from
myalgic encephalomyelitis
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or ME/CFS, is a complex, debilitating, long-term medical condition. The causes and mechanisms of the disease are not fully understood. Distinguishing core symptoms are ...
(ME, or chronic fatigue syndrome), which restricted his output; after 1985, he stopped writing music on commission, as he was unable to guarantee meeting deadlines.
Rutter also works as an arranger and editor. As a young man, he collaborated with Sir
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, Cambr ...
on five volumes of the extraordinarily successful '' Carols for Choirs'' anthology series.
He was inducted as a National Patron of
Delta Omicron
Delta Omicron () is a co-ed international professional music honors fraternity whose mission is to promote and support excellence in music and musicianship.
History
Delta Omicron International Music Fraternity was founded on September 6, 1909 at ...
, an international professional music fraternity in 1985. Rutter is also a Vice-President of the Joyful Company of Singers, President of
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 ...
, and President of the Association of British Choral Directors (ABCD).
Compositions
Rutter's compositions are chiefly choral, and include
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French ori ...
s,
anthem
An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
y soul
Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or sevent ...
magnifies
he Lord
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Eastern Christianity, Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos (). It is traditionally incorporated ...
.
The world premiere of Rutter's Requiem (1985), and of his authoritative edition of Fauré's
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
, took place with the Fox Valley Festival Chorus, in Illinois. In 2002, his setting of
Psalm 150
Psalm 150 is the 150th and final psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Praise ye the . Praise God in his sanctuary". In Latin, it is known as "Laudate Dominum in sanctis eius". In Psalm 150, the psalmist ...
, commissioned for the Queen's
Golden Jubilee
A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...
, was performed at the Jubilee thanksgiving service in
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...
, London. Similarly, he was commissioned to write a new anthem, "This is the day", for the
wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on Friday, 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London, England. The groom was second in the line of succession to the British throne. The couple had been in a relationship si ...
in 2011, performed at Westminster Abbey during the service.
Rutter's work is 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 ...
. It has been recorded by many choirs, but he conducts his own recordings principally on his label
Collegium Records
Collegium Records is an English classical music record label founded in 1984 by British composer and conductor John Rutter, primarily to record his work with the Cambridge Singers.Gramophone - Volume 69 Page 11 1992 "The success of Rutter's own ...
.
The first two choral items sung at the
Platinum Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving
The Platinum Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving was held at St Paul's Cathedral in London on Friday 3 June 2022, as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II.
Influences
Rutter's music is eclectic, showing the influences of the French and English choral traditions of the early 20th century as well as of light music and American classic songwriting. Almost every choral anthem and hymn that he writes has a subsequent orchestral accompaniment in addition to the standard piano/organ accompaniment, using various different instrumentations such as strings only, strings and woodwinds or full orchestra with brass and percussion. Many of his works have also been arranged for concert band with optional chorus.
Despite composing and conducting much religious music, Rutter told the US television programme ''
60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...
'' in 2003 that he was not a particularly religious man yet still deeply spiritual and inspired by the spirituality of sacred verses and prayers. The main topics considered in the ''60 Minutes'' programme, which was broadcast a week before Christmas 2003, were Rutter's popularity with choral groups in the United States, Britain, and other parts of the world, and his composition '' Mass of the Children'' (written after the sudden death of his son Christopher while a student at
Clare College
Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...
, Cambridge, where Rutter himself had studied).
In a 2009 interview, Rutter discussed his understanding of "genius" and its unique ability to transform lives – whether that genius is communicated in the form of music or other media. He likened the purity of music to that of mathematics and connected the two with a reference to the discovery made by the early Greeks that frequencies of harmonic pitches are related by whole-number ratios.
Reception
Rutter's music is very popular, particularly in the US. In the UK, many hold him in high regard, as illustrated by the following quotation from a review in the London ''
Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format.
In October 2009, after be ...
'' (25 September 2005): "For the infectiousness of his melodic invention and consummate craftsmanship, Rutter has few peers". Sue Lawley referred to Rutter as "the most celebrated and successful composer of carols alive today" and
Sean Rafferty
Sean Rafferty MBE is a Belfast-born, Northern Irish broadcaster, now best known for his work on BBC Radio 3.
Early life
Rafferty was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and spent his childhood in Newcastle, County Down.
He went on to study law a ...
heralded Rutter as "a creator of not just carols, but wonderfully great things for the human voice." One British composer, David Arditti, did not regard him as a sufficiently "serious" composer, saying that Rutter is "hard to take seriously, because of the way in which his sheer technical facility or versatility leads to a superficial, unstable crossover style which is neither quite classical nor pop, and which tends towards mawkish sentimentality in his sugarily-harmonised and orchestrated melodies." ''The Guardian'' remarked that "it is as a writer of carols that he has really made his mark ... His larger-scale works – particularly the Gloria (1974), Requiem (1985) and Magnificat (1990) – are also well established in the choral repertoire."
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, Cambr ...
considered Rutter "the most gifted composer of his generation."
Recognition
In 1980 Rutter was made an honorary fellow of
Westminster Choir College
, mottoeng = Let us be judged by our deeds
, established = 1926
, type = Private
, president = Gregory G. Dell'Omo
, dean = Marshall Onofrio
, city = Dayton, OH (1926–1929), Ithaca, NY (1929–1932), Princeton, NJ (1932–2020), Lawrenc ...
in
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...
, and in 1988 he became a fellow of the
Guild of Church Musicians
The Guild of Church Musicians is a charity to help encourage high standards in church music. It offers members examinations, courses, and awards. The guild is a fellowship of those who sincerely desire to offer the best in music to the service of ...
. In 1996 the
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
conferred a Lambeth Doctorate of Music upon him in recognition of his contribution to church music.
Rutter was made a Commander of the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(CBE) in the 2007 New Year Honours, for services to music.
In 2008 he also became an honorary Bencher of the
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...
while playing a significant role in the
2008 Temple Festival
The 2008 Temple Festival was a multi-disciplinary festival celebrating the 400th anniversary of James I of England granting the Honourable Societies of the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple the freehold of the Temple lands, by letters patent.
H ...
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
y soul
Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or sevent ...
magnifies
he Lord
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Eastern Christianity, Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos (). It is traditionally incorporated ...
(1990)
* Te Deum (1990)
* '' Mass of the Children'' (2003)
* ''The Gift of Life: Six Canticles of Creation'' (2015)
* ''Visions'' (2016)
Carols
* " All Bells in Paradise" (original composition)
* " Angels' Carol" (original composition)
* "Angel Tidings" (arrangement)
* " Born on Earth" (arrangement)
* " Candlelight Carol" (original composition)
* "Carol of the Children" (original composition)
* "Carol of the Magi" (original composition)
* " Cantique de Noël" (arrangement)
* "Child in a Manger" (arrangement of Gaelic melody '
Bunessan
Bunessan ( gd, Bun Easain) is a small village on the Ross of Mull in the south-west of the Isle of Mull, off the west coast of Scotland. The settlement is within the parish of Kilfinichen and Kilvickeon, and is situated on the A849.
Community
I ...
', original words)
* "Christ our Emmanuel" (original composition)
* " Christmas Lullaby"
* " Christmas Night" (arrangement, the title song on the Cambridge Singers's first album)
* "
Deck the Hall
"Deck the Hall” is a traditional Christmas carol. The melody is Welsh, dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to a winter carol, "Nos Galan", while the English lyrics, written by the Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant, date to 1862.
...
" (arrangement)
* "The Donkey Carol" (not to be confused with the song "The Friendly Beasts" arranged by John Davis that also goes by the nickname Donkey Carol)
* "
Dormi Jesu
"The Virgin's Cradle Hymn" is a short lullaby text. It was collected while on a tour of Germany by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and published in his ''Sibylline Leaves'' of 1817.Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Sibylline Leaves' (Rest Fenn ...
"
* "Es Ist Ein’ Ros’ Entsprungen" (original composition)
* "I Sing of a Maiden" (original composition)
* "I Wish You Christmas"
* "Jesus Child"
* "Joseph’s Carol" (original composition)
* "
Joy to the World
"Joy to the World" is an English Christmas carol. The carol was written in 1719 by the English minister and hymnwriter Isaac Watts, and its lyrics are an interpretation of Psalm 98 celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Today, the carol is usua ...
" (arrangement)
* "
Love Came Down at Christmas
"Love Came Down at Christmas" is a Christmas poem by Christina Rossetti. It was first published without a title in ''Time Flies: A Reading Diary'' in 1885. It was later included in the collection ''Verses'' in 1893 under the title "Christmastide" ...
" (arrangement)
* "Mary's Lullaby"
* "Nativity Carol" (1st line: "Born in a Stable so Bare"; original composition)
* "
Personent Hodie
"Personent hodie" is a Christmas carol originally published in the 1582 Finnish song book ''Piae Cantiones'', a volume of 74 Medieval songs with Latin texts collected by Jacobus Finno (Jaakko Suomalainen), a Swedish Lutheran cleric, and publish ...
" (arrangement)
* "Hajej, nynej, Ježíšku" (arrangement and translation of Czech carol called "Hajej, nynej, Ježíšku")
* "Rejoice and Be Merry"
* " Shepherd's Pipe Carol"
* "
Silent Night
"Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an ...
" (arrangement)
* " Star Carol"
* "Suzi's Carol" (original composition)
* "There is a Flower" (original composition)
* "
The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus. In some Western ecclesiastical traditions, "Christmas Day" is considered the "First Day of Christmas" and the Twelve Days a ...
" (arrangement)
* "The Very Best Time of Year"
* "Up Good Christen Folk"
* "We Will"
* "
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is an English Christmas carol, listed as numbers 230 and 9681 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The famous version of the carol is from the English West Country
The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is ...
" (arrangement)
* "
Wexford Carol
The Wexford Carol ( ga, Carúl Loch Garman, Carúl Inis Córthaidh) is a traditional religious Irish Christmas carol originating from County Wexford and, specifically, Enniscorthy (whence its other name). The subject of the song is the nativity ...
" (arrangement)
* "Was I the lamb?" Setting of words by Marc Bratcher to celebrate the Chaplain's 20 years of service as Chaplain of Merton College.
* "What Sweeter Music"
* "Wild Wood Carol"
Other anthems
* "All Things Bright and Beautiful (Rutter)", setting the hymn
* "Banquet Fugue"
* "Born on Earth (Rutter)", arrangement of the song
* "
For the beauty of the earth
"For the Beauty of the Earth" is a Christian hymn by Folliott S. Pierpoint (1835-1917).
History
Pierpoint was 29 at the time he wrote this hymn; he was mesmerized by the beauty of the countryside that surrounded him. It first appeared in 1864 ...
* ''Three Carols'' from ''Carols for Choirs 4'' for SS and SSA unaccompanied
* ''
Five Childhood Lyrics
''Five Childhood Lyrics'' is a choral composition by John Rutter, who set five texts, poems and nursery rhymes, for four vocal parts (SATB with some divisi) a cappella. Rutter composed the work for the London Concord Singers who first performed t ...
''
* ''Eight Christmas Carols, Set 1'' for mixed voices and piano
* ''Eight Christmas Carols, Set 2'' for mixed voices and piano
* ''Twelve Christmas Carols, Set 1'' for mixed voices and small orchestra or piano
* ''Twelve Christmas Carols, Set 2'' for mixed voices and small orchestra or piano
* "
The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus. In some Western ecclesiastical traditions, "Christmas Day" is considered the "First Day of Christmas" and the Twelve Days a ...
" from ''Carols for Choirs 2'' for soprano, alto, tenor and bass voices ("SATB") and piano or orchestra
* ''100 Carols for Choirs'' ed. Willcocks and Rutter
* ''Birthday Madrigals'' for SATB, commissioned in 1995 by
Brian Kay
Brian Christopher Kay (born 12 May 1944) is an English radio presenter, conductor and singer. He is well-known as the bass in the King's Singers during the group's formative years from 1968 to 1982, and as such is to be heard on many of their 197 ...
and the Cheltenham Bach Choir to celebrate the 75th birthday of
George Shearing
Sir George Albert Shearing, (13 August 1919 14 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 t ...
*''Canticles of America''
* '' Carols for Choirs 2'' ed. Willcocks and Rutter
* ''Carols for Choirs 3'' ed. Willcocks and Rutter
* ''Carols for Choirs 4'' ed. Willcocks and Rutter
* ''Child in a manger'' from ''Carols for Choirs 3'' for SATB and keyboard or orchestra
* ''Christiana Canticles'' (Evening Service in C) for SATB and organ, consisting of the
y soul
Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or sevent ...
magnifies
he Lord
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Eastern Christianity, Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos (). It is traditionally incorporated ...
and
Nunc dimittis
The Nunc dimittis (), also known as the Song of Simeon or the Canticle of Simeon, is a canticle taken from the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, verses 29 through 32. Its Latin name comes from its incipit, the opening words, of the Vulgate ...
, and dedicated to the choir of Christ Church,
Christiana Hundred
Christiana Hundred is an unincorporated subdivision of New Castle County, Delaware. Hundreds were once used as a basis for representation in the Delaware General Assembly, and while their names still appear on all real estate transactions, they p ...
* ''Christmas Night'' for SATB and keyboard or strings
* ''Come Down, O Love Divine'' for double mixed choir and organ
* ''Cradle Song'' from ''Carols for Choirs 3'' for SATB unaccompanied
* ''Dancing Day'' for SSA with harp or piano
* ''Donkey Carol'' for SATB and piano or orchestra
* ''Flemish Carol'' from ''Carols for Choirs 3'' for SATB and piano or orchestra
* "A Flower Remembered" for SATB or SAA, published with lyrics in both English and Japanese, composed in 2014 to commemorate the victims of the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...
* ''
For the Beauty of the Earth
"For the Beauty of the Earth" is a Christian hymn by Folliott S. Pierpoint (1835-1917).
History
Pierpoint was 29 at the time he wrote this hymn; he was mesmerized by the beauty of the countryside that surrounded him. It first appeared in 1864 ...
'' for SATB, SA, or TTBB, and piano
* ''
A Gaelic Blessing
''A Gaelic Blessing'' is an English language choral composition by John Rutter, consisting of four vocal parts (SATB) and organ or orchestra. It is also known by the repeating first line of the text, "Deep peace". The work was commissioned by the ...
'' for SATB and organ or guitar, commissioned in 1978 by the Chancel Choir of the First United Methodist Church, Omaha, Nebraska, in honour of minister of music Mel Olson
* ''Gloria'' for mixed voices with brass, percussion and organ or orchestra
* ''Here We Come a-wassailing'' from ''Twelve Christmas Carols, Set 1''
* ''
The Holly and the Ivy
"The Holly and the Ivy" is a traditional British folk Christmas carol, listed as number 514 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The song can be traced only as far as the early nineteenth century, but the lyrics reflect an association between holly a ...
'' for SATB and piano or orchestra
* ''
I Saw Three Ships
"I Saw Three Ships (Come Sailing In)" is an English Christmas carol, listed as number 700 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The earliest printed version of "I Saw Three Ships" is from the 17th century, possibly Derbyshire, and was also published by ...
'' from ''Carols for Choirs 3'' for SATB and piano or orchestra
* " I will sing with the spirit" for SATB and organ, piano or orchestra
* '' Jesus Child'' for SATB and piano or orchestra
* ''Jesus Child'' for unison and piano
* ''Joy to the world!'' for SATB and keyboard or orchestra (2 trumpets, timpani and strings)
* ''King Jesus hath a garden'' from ''Carols for Choirs 3'' for SATB and piano or flute, harp and strings
* "Kum ba yah" - a reflective arrangement of the traditional African-American song, written in memory of Nelson Mandela.
* "Look at the World" for SATB and Orchestra
* " The Lord bless you and keep you"
* ''Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace'' for SATB or TTBB with organ or harp and strings
* ''
Love came down at Christmas
"Love Came Down at Christmas" is a Christmas poem by Christina Rossetti. It was first published without a title in ''Time Flies: A Reading Diary'' in 1885. It was later included in the collection ''Verses'' in 1893 under the title "Christmastide" ...
'' for SATB and keyboard or strings
* ''Mary's Lullaby'' for SATB and piano or orchestra
* ''Nativity Carol'' for SATB and keyboard or strings
* '' O come, O come, Emmanuel'' from ''Twelve Christmas Carols, Set 1'' for SATB and keyboard or orchestra
* ''O Lord, thou hast searched me out'' for SATB chorus, organ and solo cor anglais (or clarinet, or viola)
* "Psalmfest"
* ''Quem pastores laudavere'' for SATB unaccompanied
* ''Quittez, pasteurs'' for SATB unaccompanied
* ''Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?'' for SATB unaccompanied
* ''Shepherd's Pipe Carol'' for SATB and piano or orchestra or for SSAA and piano or orchestra
* ''Sing we to this merry company'' for SATB and orchestra or organ
* ''Star Carol'' for SATB and piano or orchestra or brass with optional children's voices or for unison and piano
* ''There is a flower'' (original composition) for SATB unaccompanied
* ''Tomorrow shall be my dancing day'' from the cycle of carols, Dancing Day for SSA and harp or piano
* ''Wexford Carol'' for SATB unaccompanied
* ''What sweeter music'' for SATB and organ or strings
* ''Winchester Te Deum'' For SATB and Piano or Organ
Anthems and other compositions
Most of these works are original compositions, including new musical settings of standard texts, whilst others are arrangements of traditional hymns.
Music with narration
* Setting of ''
The Wind in the Willows
''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and get ...
'' for narrator, SATB chorus and chamber orchestra
* '' Brother Heinrich's Christmas''
* ''The Reluctant Dragon''
Piano music
* The John Rutter Piano Album : arrangements of eight of his most popular choral pieces for solo piano.
* The John Rutter Christmas Piano Album : eight piano arrangements of Christmas pieces composed by Rutter.
References
Footnotes
Sources
* Kennedy, Michael (2006), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Music'', 985 pages,
Further reading
*Burrows, Helen Jane (1999). ''Choral Music and the Church of England 1970–1995: A Study of Selected Works and Composer–Church Relations''. PhD thesis. Norwich: University of East Anglia.
*Dakers, Lionel (1978). ''Making Church Music Work''. Oxford and London: Mowbray.
*Frank, Alan (1976). "John Rutter's Partita for Orchestra". ''The Musical Times'' 117, no. 1598 (April): 309.
*Morrison, Richard (1992). "Tis the Season to Be Authentic". ''The Times'' (3 November): 29.
*Westermeyer, Paul (1994). "John Rutter: Popular Romantic". ''Christian Century'' 111, no. 35 (7 December): 1158.