John Rutter: Requiem

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A Gaelic Blessing 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 In 1980 Rutter was made an honorary fellow of Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and in 1988 he became a fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians. In 1996 the Archbishop of Canterbury conferred a Lambeth Doctorate of Music upon him in recognition of his contribution to church music. Rutter completed his Requiem in 1985. It bears the dedication "in memoriam L. F. R.", [1] John Rutter's father, who had died the previous year. [2] a b Leung, Rebecca (11 February 2009). "Spreading Good Cheer". CBS News . Retrieved 7 February 2019.

Although only 35 minutes in length, the choir of 30+ only began to learn it three and a half hours earlier with a small number of newbies for the day. The result was beautiful. BBC Radio 3, Choral Evensong, St Bartholomew-the-Great, London, 22 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.

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The first movement consists of the Introit from the Requiem ("Requiem aeternam") and the Kyrie. The work opens with a steady beat of the tympani, to which instruments enter, first without a defined key. The voices enter in measure 7, stating in unison on the note C "Requiem aeternam". The text beginning "Kyrie eleison" is set in G major. [5] 2 edit Rutter's compositions are chiefly choral, and include Christmas carols, anthems and extended works such as the Gloria, the Requiem and the Magnificat.

Christmas Bells" (arrangement of the Norwegian folk song "Pal Pa Haugen", with new Christmas lyrics by Rutter)

Christiana Canticles (Evening Service in C) for SATB and organ, consisting of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis, and dedicated to the choir of Christ Church, Christiana Hundred [23] News". Delta Omicron. 29 March 2008. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011 . Retrieved 22 July 2011.

The fifth movement is the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) of the Requiem. Rutter uses a steady beat on one note, similar to the timpani of the first movement. The Latin text is contrasted with another biblical passage, "Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live" from the Book of Job. The call Agnus Dei in measure 58 is the dynamic climax of the Requiem. After an instrumental interlude which quotes a melody associated with Easter, the voices sing very softly "I am the resurrection and the life", from the Book of John. [9] 6 edit Birthday Madrigals for SATB, commissioned in 1995 by Brian Kay and the Cheltenham Bach Choir to celebrate the 75th birthday of George Shearing The first two choral items sung at the Platinum Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving in June 2022 were arrangements by Rutter, [10] as were no fewer than six items performed at the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla. [11] Influences edita b Macfarlane, Alan. "Interview with John Rutter". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 . Retrieved 18 December 2013. The sixth movement is Psalm 23, another psalm commonly used at Anglican funerals. It mentions the valley of the shadow of death, but is an expression of trust in God and hope for dwelling in his house forever. [10] 7 edit In 1981, Rutter founded his own choir, the Cambridge Singers, 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. He resides at Hemingford Abbots in Cambridgeshire and frequently conducts many choirs and orchestras around the world. 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. The following table shows the title, Tempo marking, voices, time, key and text sources for the seven movements. The information is given for the beginning of the movements. Rutter frequently shifts tempo, key and time. The source for the details is the vocal score, unless otherwise noted. [4] Movements of Rutter's Requiem

He conducted the first performance on 13 October 1985 at Lovers' Lane United Methodist Church, Dallas, Texas, where the director of Music Allen Pote prepared the Sanctuary Choir and orchestra. The soprano soloist was Karen Shafer. Movements 1, 2, 4, and 7 had been performed on 14 March 1985 at Fremont Presbyterian Church, Sacramento, California, by the Sanctuary Choir and ensemble, prepared by Mel Olson and also conducted by the composer. [3] Returning to Requiem, the main event, the choir continued in their advancement with some rich, tones and all the voices blended beautifully. Rutter’s Requiem composed in 1985, is a musical setting of sections of the Missa pro Defunctis, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Psalms. Seven sections contained prayers on behalf of all humanity, psalms, personal prayers to Christ, and in the central Sanctus an affirmation of divine glory. During this, there were two solo pieces sung also beautifully, by Naomi Barlow. Excellent accompaniment throughout by Angie Allard. Welcome To Delta Omicron International Music Fraternity". Delta Omicron. Archived from the original on 27 January 2010 . Retrieved 22 July 2011.Composer of the Week: John Rutter". BBC Radio 3. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 . Retrieved 28 September 2014 – via YouTube. Nowhere is it more evident than in his glorious Requiem. Composed in 1985, the work is reminiscent of the Requiem of Fauré for its simplicity, brevity and rich choral writing. He was inducted as a National Patron of Delta Omicron, an international professional music fraternity in 1985. [6] [7] Rutter is also a Vice-President of the Joyful Company of Singers, President of The Bach Choir, and President of the Association of British Choral Directors (ABCD). [8] Compositions edit Star Carol for SATB and piano or orchestra or brass with optional children's voices or for unison and piano The central movement is the Sanctus (with Benedictus), a lively, and exclamatory movement which is brightly orchestrated with bells, flute, and oboe and occasional timpani recalling the passage in Old Testament scripture in Isaiah chapter 6, and the worship of the six-winged seraphim in the heavenly throne-room of God. [8] 5 edit