John Rutter

John Milford Rutter CBE (born 24 September 1945) cron, an international professional music fraternity in
is a British composer, conductor, editor, arranger and 1985.[5][6]
record producer, mainly of choral music.
Rutter is also a Vice President of the Joyful Company of
Singers.

1 Biography
2 Compositions
Born in London, the son of an industrial chemist and his
wife, Rutter grew up living over the Globe pub on Lon- Rutter’s compositions are chiefly choral, and include
don’s Marylebone Road.[2] He was educated at Highgate Christmas carols, anthems and extended works such as
School, where a fellow pupil was John Tavener,[3] before a Gloria, the Requiem and the Magnificat.
reading music at Clare College, Cambridge, where he was
The world premiere of Rutter’s Requiem (1985), and of
a member of the choir. He served as director of music at
his authoritative edition of Fauré's Requiem, took place
Clare College from 1975 to 1979 and led the choir to in-
with the Fox Valley Festival Chorus, in Illinois. In 2002,
ternational prominence.
his setting of Psalm 150, commissioned for the Queen’s
In 1974, Rutter visited the United States at the invitation Golden Jubilee, was performed at the Jubilee thanksgiv-
of choral musician Melvin (Mel) Olson and conducted the ing service in St Paul’s Cathedral, London. Similarly, he
premiere of his cantata “Gloria” in Omaha, Nebraska, in was commissioned to write a new anthem, “This is the
the Witherspoon Hall of Joslyn Art Museum. The com- day”, for the Wedding of Prince William and Cather-
position, commissioned by Olson’s Voices of Mel Olson ine Middleton in 2011, performed at Westminster Abbey
chorale, has become a much-performed favourite over the during the service.[7]
years.
He has also written an opera for young people called
In 1981, Rutter founded his own choir, the Cambridge Bang!
Singers, which he conducts and with which he has made
Rutter’s work is published principally by Oxford Univer-
many recordings of sacred choral repertoire (includ-
sity Press in England and by Hinshaw Music in the US.
ing his own works), particularly under his own label
It has been recorded by many choirs, but he conducts his
Collegium Records. He resides at Duxford in Cam-
own recordings principally on his Collegium label.
bridgeshire and frequently conducts many choirs and or-
chestras around the world.
In 1980, he was made an honorary Fellow of Westminster
Choir College, Princeton, and in 1988 a Fellow of the
3 Influences
Guild of Church Musicians. In 1996, the Archbishop
of Canterbury conferred a Lambeth Doctorate of Mu- Rutter’s music is eclectic, showing the influences of the
sic upon him in recognition of his contribution to churchFrench and English choral traditions of the early 20th
music. In 2008, he was made an honorary Bencher of century as well as of light music and American clas-
the Middle Temple while playing a significant role in the sic songwriting. Almost every choral anthem and hymn
2008 Temple Festival. that he writes has a subsequent orchestral accompaniment
in addition to the standard piano/organ accompaniment,
From 1985 to 1992, Rutter suffered severely from using various different instrumentations such as strings
myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME, or chronic fatigue syn- only, strings and woodwinds or full orchestra with brass
drome), which restricted his output; after 1985 he and percussion.
stopped writing music on commission, as he was unable
to guarantee meeting deadlines.[4] Despite composing and conducting much religious music,
Rutter told the US television programme 60 Minutes in
Rutter also works as an arranger and editor. As a young 2003 that he was not a particularly religious man yet still
man he collaborated with Sir David Willcocks on the ex- deeply spiritual and inspired by the spirituality of sacred
traordinarily successful Carols for Choirs anthology se- verses and prayers.[8] The main topics considered in the
ries. 60 Minutes programme, which was broadcast a week be-
He was inducted as a National Patron of Delta Omi- fore Christmas 2003, were Rutter’s popularity with choral

1
2 5 LIST OF COMPOSITIONS AND ARRANGEMENTS

groups in the United States, Britain and other parts of the 5.2 Carols
world and his composition Mass of the Children, written
after the sudden death of his son Christopher while a stu- • "All Things Bright and Beautiful"
dent at Clare College, Cambridge, where Rutter himself
• "Angels’ Carol" (Original composition)
had studied.
In a 2009 interview Rutter discussed his understanding of • "Angel Tidings" (Arrangement)
'genius’ and its unique ability to transform lives – whether
• "Banquet Fugue"
that genius is communicated in the form of music or other
media. He likened the purity of music to that of math- • "Born on Earth" (Arrangement)
ematics and connected the two with a reference to the
discovery made by the early Greeks that frequencies of • "Candlelight Carol" (Original composition)
harmonic pitches are related by whole-number ratios. • "Carol of the Children" (Original composition)
• "Carol of the Magi" (Original composition)
4 Reception • "Cantique de Noël" (Arrangement)
• "Christmas Lullaby"
Rutter’s music is very popular, particularly in the USA
(NBC’s Today Show called him “the world’s greatest liv- • "Christmas Night" (Arrangement, the title song on
ing composer and conductor of choral music”). In the the Cambridge Singers’s first album)
UK it receives a more mixed reception: most hold him in
high regard, as illustrated by the following quotation from • "Deck the Hall" (Arrangement)
a review in the London Evening Standard (25/09/2005): • “The Donkey Carol” (not to be confused with the
“For the infectiousness of his melodic invention and con- song “The Friendly Beasts” arranged by John Davis
summate craftsmanship, Rutter has few peers,” while one that also goes by the nickname Donkey Carol)
conservative British composer, David Arditti, didn't re-
gard him as a sufficiently “serious” composer, saying that • "Dormi Jesu"
“Rutter ... is ... hard to take seriously, because of the way
in which his sheer technical facility or versatility leads to a • "For the Beauty of the Earth"
superficial, unstable crossover style which is neither quite • "I Wonder as I Wander" (Arrangement)
classical nor pop, and which tends towards mawkish sen-
timentality in his sugarily-harmonised and orchestrated • "Jesus Child"
melodies.”[9] The Guardian remarked that “it is as a writer
of carols that he has really made his mark ... His larger- • "Joy to the World" (Arrangement in the style of
scale works – particularly the Gloria (1974), Requiem Handel)
(1985) and Magnificat (1990) – are also well established • "Love Came Down at Christmas"
in the choral repertoire.”[10] David Willcocks considered
Rutter “the most gifted composer of his generation.”[11] • "Look At The World"
• "Mary’s Lullaby"
• "Nativity Carol" (1st line: “Born in a Stable so
5 List of compositions and ar- Bare”) (Original composition)
rangements
• "Personent Hodie" (Arranged in the Medieval style)

5.1 Extended compositions • "Rocking" (Arrangement and translation of Czech

carol called “Hajej, nynej, Ježíšku”)
• Gloria (1974) • "Rejoice and Be Merry"

• Requiem (1985) • "Shepherd’s Pipe Carol"

• "Silent Night" (Arrangement in the style of Brahms)
• Magnificat (1990)
• "Star Carol"
• Mass of the Children (2003)
• "There is a Flower" (Original composition)
• Suite Antique • "The Twelve Days of Christmas" (Arrangement)
• Te Deum • "The Very Best Time of Year"
5.3 Choral works 3

• "Up Good Christen Folk" • Gaelic Blessing

• "We Will" • Here We Come a-wassailing from Twelve Christmas
Carols, Set 1
• "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" (Arrangement)
• The Holly and the Ivy for SATB and piano or orches-
• "Wexford Carol" (Arrangement)
tra
• "What Sweeter Music"
• Gloria for mixed voices with brass, percussion and
• "Wild Wood Carol" organ or orchestra.

• I Saw Three Ships from Carols for Choirs 3 for SATB

5.3 Choral works and piano or orchestra

• A Gaelic Blessing for soprano, alto, tenor and bass • "I will sing with the spirit" for SATB and organ, pi-
voices (“SATB”) and organ or guitar, commissioned ano or orchestra
in 1978 by the Chancel Choir of the First United
• Jesus Child for SATB and piano or orchestra
Methodist Church, Omaha, Nebraska, in honor of
minister of music Mel Olson. • Jesus Child for unison and piano
• Birthday Madrigals for SATB, commissioned in • Joy to the world! for SATB and keyboard or orches-
1995 by Brian Kay and the Cheltenham Bach Choir tra (2 trumpets, timpani and strings)
to celebrate the 75th birthday of George Shearing
• King Jesus hath a garden from Carols for Choirs 3
• Carols for Choirs 2 ed. Willcocks and Rutter for SATB and piano or flute, harp and strings
• Carols for Choirs 3 ed. Willcocks and Rutter
• “Look At The World” for SATB and Orchestra
• Carols for Choirs 4 ed. Willcocks and Rutter
• "The Lord bless you and keep you"
• Dancing Day for SSA with harp or piano
• Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace for
• Eight Childhood Lyrics SATB or TTBB with organ or harp and strings
• Eight Christmas Carols, Set 1 for mixed voices and • Love came down at Christmas for SATB and key-
piano board or strings
• Eight Christmas Carols, Set 2 for mixed voices and • Mary’s Lullaby for SATB and piano or orchestra
piano
• Nativity Carol for SATB and keyboard or strings
• 100 Carols for Choirs ed. Willcocks and Rutter
• O come, O come, Emmanuel from Twelve Christmas
• Twelve Christmas Carols, Set 1 for mixed voices and Carols, Set 1 for SATB and keyboard or orchestra
small orchestra or piano
• O Lord, thou hast searched me out for SATB chorus,
• Twelve Christmas Carols, Set 2 for mixed voices and organ and solo cor anglais (or clarinet, or viola)
small orchestra or piano
• "Psalmfest"
• Child in a manger from Carols for Choirs 3 for SATB
and keyboard or orchestra • Quem pastores laudavere for SATB unaccompanied
• Christmas Night for SATB and keyboard or strings • Quittez, pasteurs for SATB unaccompanied
• Come Down, O Love Divine for double mixed choir • Shepherd’s Pipe Carol for SATB and piano or or-
and organ chestra or for SSAA and piano or orchestra
• Cradle Song from Carols for Choirs 3 for SATB un-
• Sing we to this merry company for SATB and orches-
accompanied
tra or organ
• Donkey Carol for SATB and piano or orchestra
• Star Carol for SATB and piano or orchestra or brass
• Flemish Carol from Carols for Choirs 3 for SATB with optional children’s voices or for unison and pi-
and piano or orchestra ano

• For the Beauty of the Earth for SATB, SA, or TTBB, • There is a flower (original composition) for SATB
and piano unaccompanied
4 8 EXTERNAL LINKS

• Three Carols from Carols for Choirs 4 for SS and 7.2 Notations
SSA unaccompanied
• Kennedy, Michael (2006), The Oxford Dictionary of
• Tomorrow shall be my dancing day from the cycle Music, 985 pages, ISBN 0-19-861459-4
of carols, Dancing Day for SSA and harp or piano
• "The Twelve Days of Christmas" from Carols for
Choirs 2 for SATB and piano or orchestra 8 External links
• Winchester Te Deum For SATB and Piano or Organ
• Rutter at the Oxford University Press website
• Wexford Carol for SATB unaccompanied
• Collegium Records
• What sweeter music for SATB and organ or strings
• John Rutter interviewed by Alan Macfarlane, 28
January 2009 (film)
5.4 Anthems and other compositions
• John Rutter interviewed by C Music TV, October
Most of these works are original compositions, including 2010 on YouTube
new musical settings of standard texts, whilst others are
arrangements of traditional hymns. • John Rutter interviewed by C Music TV, October
2010 from C Music TV
• This is the Day, performed at the royal wedding,
6 Music with narration 2011

• Wind in the Willows • Joyful Company of Singers

• Brother Heinrich’s Christmas

• The Reluctant Dragon

7 References

7.1 Footnotes
[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4727014/
The-carol-singers-shining-star.html
[2] Macfarlane, Alan. “Interview with John Rutter”. Re-
trieved 18 December 2013.
[3] “Famous OCs” (PDF). Highgate: The Cholmeleian Soci-
ety. 4 January 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
[4] “BBC Radio 3 Composer of the Week, John Rutter”.
YouTube. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
[5] “Welcome To Delta Omicron International Music Frater-
nity”. Delta Omicron. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
[6] “News”. Delta Omicron. 29 March 2008. Retrieved
2011-07-22.
[7] “Order of Service”. Telegraph.co.uk. 28 April 2011. Re-
trieved 28 September 2014.
[8] Rebecca Leung (11 February 2009). “Spreading Good
Cheer”. CBS News. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
[9] “Expansive Poetry Online”. Expansivepoetryonline.com.
Retrieved 28 September 2014.
[10] "The Guardian, 22 December 2000”. Guardian.co.uk.
Retrieved 28 September 2014.
[11] “John Rutter: a Life”. Classic FM. Retrieved 28 Septem-
ber 2014.
 5

9 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

9.1 Text
• John Rutter Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John%20Rutter?oldid=639710340 Contributors: Deb, Camembert, KF, Edward,
GABaker, Charles Matthews, Hyacinth, Ed g2s, Mackensen, Wilus, Romanm, Academic Challenger, Mervyn, JackofOz, Alan Liefting,
Stefanfraczek, Bfinn, Robodoc.at, Fishal, Utcursch, Andycjp, Necrothesp, Kareeser, D6, CALR, Rich Farmbrough, Autiger, Bender235,
Tompw, Walden, Ogg, Musiphil, Craigy144, Dave.Dunford, Pcpcpc, Stemonitis, Jftsang, SCEhardt, Marudubshinki, BD2412, Koavf,
RobertG, JdforresterBot, DrG, DTOx, Bgwhite, Dehenderson, Lincolnite, Sacre, CaesarGJ, JRG, Jpbowen, Nikkimaria, Mhkay, Kimdino,
DonJay, SmackBot, CyclePat, KocjoBot, Zyxw, Armeria, Kleinzach, FordPrefect42, Oatmeal batman, Kittybrewster, Enzomartinelli, Rob,
Derek R Bullamore, HDow, Charivari, TenPoundHammer, Ser Amantio di Nicolao, JzG, Seadog365, Yip1982, Dl2000, DChapii, Ter-
ryE, AlbertSM, Cydebot, Kiran, PamD, Thijs!bot, CSvBibra, JustAGal, Smithian, Shirt58, Belcantobach, Knowing Is Half The Battle,
Husond, Korfursten, Xn4, Jerome Kohl, Hefeltsmart, Hsmfreak, Nandt1, Bsroiaadn, Hqb, Jordi22, Flyingostrich, Liberalartist, Rknasc,
Badvibes101, Mr Harpist, Saorgans, Karaboom, Hxhbot, Playa2, Szater, JBanks94, Werldwayd, Benny the wayfarer, Emojeffrey, Clue-
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Grand Rans, GrouchoBot, Omnipaedista, Irismac, Jfred60606, Suzy47, Leestes, Jschnur, Mardaloop, Gerda Arendt, Kgrad, Diannaa,
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