"Look at the world" is a sacred choral composition by John Rutter, a harvest

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 ...

to his own words. He offered versions for children's choir in unison or a four-part choir, with keyboard or orchestra. It was commissioned by the

Council for the Protection of Rural England CPRE, The Countryside Charity, formerly known by names such as the ''Council for the Preservation of Rural England'' and the ''Council for the Protection of Rural England'', is a charity in England with over 40,000 members and supporters. Forme ...

. 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 1996.

History

Rutter set "Look at the world" as a harvest

to his own lyrics in 1996. He responded to a commission from the

, meant to be "a widely-usable choral song or anthem on the theme of the environment and our responsibility towards it". It was meant to celebrate the organisation's 70th anniversary. He scored it for either a children's choir in unison or a four-part choir, accompanied by a keyboard instrument or orchestra. The anthem was published by

in 1996. In 2021, a version for a small ensemble of flute, oboe, harp and organ appeared.

Music

The anthem is in set in 2/2, marked "Brightly" It begins in

C major C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and ...

, but modulates twice and ends in D major. It begins with eight measures of instrumental introduction, with broken chords in constant flowing eighth-notes. It is in four stanzas and a refrain, beginning "Praise to thee, O Lord of all creation". In the choral version, only the refrain is in harmony for all four voices, while the stanzas are assigned to varying voices. The third stanza is in

B major B major (or the key of B) is a major scale based on B. The pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A are all part of the B major scale. Its key signature has five sharps. Its relative minor is G-sharp minor, its parallel minor is B minor, and its ...

, and the final stanza in D major. The duration is given as 4.5 minutes.

Recordings

The anthem was recorded for a 2003 collection of Rutter's ''

Mass of the Children ''Mass of the Children'' is a major work of English composer John Rutter. It is a non-liturgical Missa brevis, with the traditional Latin and Greek Mass (music), Mass text interwoven with several English poems. ''Mass of the Children'' consists ...

'' and other sacred music, by 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 ...

and 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 the composer. It was recorded for a 2010 collection, ''A Song in Season'' of works by Rutter composed since 1996 and mostly not previously recorded, with the composer conducting the Cambridge Singers and the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

. A reviewer from ''

Gramophone A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

'' described it as "overtly innocent".

References

External links

Look at the world
singers.com * {{authority control Compositions by John Rutter 1996 compositions Choral compositions