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This year marks the significant publishing anniversaries of a series of Christmas pieces, including the 50th anniversary of Jesus Child and the 25th anniversary of Dormi, Jesu. Do you remember hearing or singing any of these pieces when they were first released?
Jesus Child: published 50 years ago in 1974
“Have you heard the story that they’re telling ’bout Bethlehem?”
Caribbean music became widely popular in Britain from the 1950s, and this carol shows its influence. It was written in 1973 for the choir of St Albans School at the invitation of its young director, Simon Lindley (later to become a significant figure in the church music world in Britain).
The holly and the ivy: published 45 years ago in 1979
This folk carol, probably of eighteenth-century origin, was published in the form it is known today in 1911 by Cecil Sharp in his collection English Folk Carols. The following year Walford Davies, then organist of the Temple Church in London, made the present setting which has remained perhaps the simplest and best.
The Very Best Time of Year: published 35 years ago in 1989
This was written in 1984 as a Christmas present for Gene and Audrey Grier, two noted American choral musicians who were among the first to welcome John Rutter into the American choral community on his early visits there in the 1970s and 80s.
Rise up, Shepherd, and follow: published 30 years ago in 1994
This setting perfectly captures the essential simplicity of this Christmas spiritual, with a wordless chorus backing a solo baritone.
Dormi, Jesu: published 25 years ago in 1999
The Latin text of this lullaby has been known and admired for centuries: it was translated into English by Coleridge, and there are musical settings by Rubbra and by Webern (one of the very few twelve-note carols in existence). The present setting was written at the invitation of Stephen Cleobury, Director of Music at King’s College, Cambridge, for the King’s Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in 1999.
Rejoice and be merry: published 20 years ago in 2004
The occasion for this new setting of a traditional English text was a request in 2003 from the Washington Cathedral Choral Society for a carol accompanied by brass ensemble and handbells.
El noi de la mare: published 15 years ago in 2009
This tender Catalan lullaby, believed to be of sixteenth-century origin, is a folk-song with seasonal text, its style reflecting the musical culture of Catalonia. Devotees of the guitar will recognize the melody as a favourite John Williams recital encore (it was originally transcribed by the great Spanish guitarist Miguel Llobet). The present arrangement was written especially for Clara Sanabras, soloist in the 2006 Christmas Festival.
Christ is the morning star: published 10 years ago in 2014
“I wrote this Advent carol in 2013 at the invitation of Graham Ross, Director of Music at Clare College, Cambridge. Regrettably, the season of Advent is often swallowed up by premature Christmas celebrations, and for the occasion of Clare’s annual Advent Carol Service I wanted to write a piece which would look forward to Christmas – and to the Second Coming, a significant Advent theme – rather than greet its arrival. The idea for the text came from an inscription of words by the Venerable Bede on the wall of Durham Cathedral.” JR
The Jolly Shepherd: published 5 years ago in 2019
This sprightly setting of a sixteenth-century English text tells the tale of a jolly shepherd named Wat. With an upbeat triple metre and a joyful swing feel, this carol has imaginative, contrasting textures, a memorable refrain, and a rousing finish.