This much-loved carol is presented with background information and helpful performance hints. Recognising the frequency with which this piece is performed with organ accompaniment, John Rutter has made an organ reduction of the orchestral material.
Conductor’s scores and instrumental parts are available on sale and on hire at the OUP link below.
Also available in versions for solo voice, upper voices (SSAA) and unison
Orchestration: fl+picc, ob, bsn, 2hn, hp, str
John Rutter’s tender and expressive arrangement of Silent night is presented here in both English and German. In a fascinating note, Rutter outlines the history of this celebrated carol, and this edition also includes performance hints from the composer.
Originally published in a version for mixed voices, this much-loved Rutter carol has been adapted by the composer for performance by upper-voice choirs.
Full scores and sets of parts, specially composed for the upper-voice version, are available on sale or to hire/rent at the OUP link below.
Originally published as the fifth movement in the large-scale work The Gift of Life, this is a pleasingly optimistic anthem in Rutter’s gloriously uplifting style. The words by the composer capture a thankfulness for the world’s creation, along with a sense of excitement and anticipation for the future to come. Rutter skillfully mirrors the varying moods of the text through harmonic shifts, melodic devices, and tempo fluctuations, and brings the music to a wonderfully calm and peaceful close.
Orchestral material is available to hire at the OUP link below.
This charming piece brings to life a magical world that exists in everyone’s mind – a land of make-believe, where there are dragons, giants, and castles in the air. The composer’s wonderfully imaginative words will appeal to all young and young-at-heart singers, and the approachable melody and limited divisi make the work ideal for performance by children’s choir.
Orchestra score and parts available to hire at the OUP link below.
Orchestration: 2fl, 2ob, 2cl in Bb, 2bsn, 2hn, perc (1 player: glock, bell tree), hp, strings
Composed in 1977, this triumphant setting of words from Psalms 136 and 67 is now published for the first time following the rediscovery of the lost manuscript. Rutter’s early style is reminiscent of Britten, making a feature of parallel harmonies and scalic runs to impressive effect- ideal to revitalise the evensong repertoire of upper-voice choirs.
The Gift of Life is a six-movement choral celebration of the living earth and its creation. Setting a variety of sacred texts, including new words by the composer, the work includes the mystical ‘Hymn to the Creator of Light’, for double choir, as its central canticle. The surrounding movements offer a kaleidoscope of moods, from the spirited ‘O all ye works of the Lord’ to the majestic ‘O Lord, how manifold are thy works’ and culminating in the inspirational ‘Believe in life’.
1. O all ye works of the Lord
2. The tree of life
3. Hymn to the Creator of Light
4. O Lord, how manifold are thy works
5.The gift of each day
6. Finale: Believe in life
Orchestral material is available to hire/rent at the OUP link below.
Orchestration: 2fl, 2ob, 2cl, 2bsn, 4hn, 3tpt, 3tbn, tba, timps, perc (2 players), hp, strings (full orchestra) OR timps, perc, harp, pno, org. (chamber version)
This joyful, sprightly carol has been offprinted, by popular request, from Sir David Willcocks: A Celebration in Carols. With its uplifting 7/8 time signature, memorable melody, rich and diverse textures, and delightful orchestral accompaniment, this carol is a fitting tribute to one of the great names synonymous with Christmas.
Orchestral score and parts available to hire at the link below.
Orchestration: 2fl, 2 ob, 2cl, 2bsn, 2hn, 2tpt, 3tbn, tba, timp, perc, hp, str
This poignant anthem was written in memory of the Revd Dr John Hughes (1978-2014), Dean of Jesus College, Cambridge. The text combines the nineteenth-century poet and Christian minister George MacDonald’s emotive poem Lost and Found with the In paradisum antiphon from the Burial Service in the Liber Usualis. The music is at times ethereal, melancholic, poignant, and life-affirming. The solo oboe and organ writing combine with word-painting and angelic choral moments to encourage reflection on the subject at hand.
An orchestration for chamber ensemble (solo oboe, harp, and strings) is available to hire/rent at the OUP link below.
Orchestration: solo oboe, hp, str
John Rutter’s arrangement of this popular Christmas-themed African-American spiritual is lively and joyful, with a hillbilly flavour and a hint of bluegrass fiddle.
Conductor’s scores and instrumental parts are available on sale and to hire/rent at the OUP link below.
Orchestration: 2fl, 2ob, 2cl, 2bsn, 2hn, perc (1 player, glock + xylo), opt. timp, opt. pno, hp, str
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