Christmas Lullaby
| Christmas Lullaby | |
|---|---|
| by John Rutter | |
 Maria mit dem Kinde, by Dagmar Anders, 1990 | |
| Dedication | David Willcocks |
| Published | 1990 |
| Scoring | SATB choir and piano or organ or small orchestra |
Christmas Lullaby is a popular sacred choral composition by John Rutter, a lullaby for Christmas. He wrote his own text, beginning "Clear in the darkness",[1] three stanzas with the refrain "Ave Maria" ("Hail Mary").[2] Rutter scored the piece for four vocal parts (SATB) and piano, adding other versions.[3] He composed it on a 1989 commission from The Bach Choir for the celebration of the 70th birthday of their conductor David Willcocks.[3] It was first performed at the choir's Christmas concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, an event that Rutter knew from being a member of the audience as a boy.[3]
The work was published by Oxford University Press in 1990. It was published in a German edition, Weihnachts-Wiegenlied, with a text translated by Alex Brendelmeier, by Bärenreiter in 1998.[2] It became part of the John Rutter Anniversary Edition.[3]
Christmas Lullaby has been recorded several times,[4] notably with the composer conducting the Cambridge Singers on an album The John Rutter Christmas Album.[5] It was also sung by the chamber choir Polyphony with the City of London Sinfonia, conducted by Stephen Layton.[1]
Text and music
Rutter, who composed many works to celebrate Christmas, wrote his own text for Christmas Lullaby, beginning "Clear in the darkness a light shines in Bethlehem".[1] He alludes to several aspects of the Christmas story, with a focus on combining reverence for the baby and for Mary, his mother, with the traditional words "Ave Maria" (Hail Mary).[4]
Marked Andante legato, the music is in
References
- ^ a b c Green, Andrew. "John Rutter / Christmas Lullaby / SATB vocal score". Hyperion. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ a b c Christmas Lullaby. Bärenreiter. 1998.
- ^ a b c d "John Rutter / Christmas Lullaby / SATB vocal score". Oxford University Press. 1990. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ Allmusic. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ "Cambridge Singers : The John Rutter Christmas Album in John Rutter / Director". singers.com. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
External links
- Rutter – Christmas Lullaby St Mary's Singers
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