John Rutter
John Rutter is one of England's best-known composers of the late 20th century, as well as a widely respected choral conductor, music scholar, and editor. While his choral works, both small and large -- including the Gloria (1974), Magnificat (1990), Requiem (1985), Psalmfest (1993), and Mass of the Children (2003) -- are the most familiar, he has written instrumental works, including a piano concerto; two children's operas; and music for television. Rutter also composed specially for such groups as the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and the King's Singers.
He began his musical career as a member of the Highgate School chorus, continued to study organ, and went on to Cambridge University, where he studied at Clare College. At the age of 30, in 1975, he returned to Clare, where he served as director of music. In 1979, however, he left the position in order to give more attention to composing and conducting. He still contributed to the study of choral music, acting as an editor on the Carols for Choirs series along with Sir David Willcocks and on the Opera Choruses (1995) and European Sacred Music (1996) volumes of the Oxford Choral Classics series. He formed the Cambridge Singers in 1981, primarily to record his and others' music, and again he left off leadership of the group in order to concentrate on composing and conducting. He was made an honorary fellow by Westminster Choir College, Princeton in 1980, and a fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians in 1988. In 1996, he was awarded a Lambeth Doctorate of Music by the Archbishop of Canterbury for his services to church music. In addition to all of these activities, he manages the Collegium Records label, largely devoted to his own music. He continues to guest conduct and lecture around the world. He was awarded a CBE for his services to music in the 2007 Queen's New Year Honours List. In 2016, Rutter wrote Visions for violin, treble choir, harp, and strings, and conducted its premiere along with his Requiem that year on Collegium Records. In the midst of the 2020 coronavirus lockdowns, Rutter transcribed eight of his choral works and eight carols for piano, bringing in longtime friend Wayne Marshall to record The Piano Collection in isolation, with Rutter producing from his England home.
Musically his works show very distinct influences from the past. He has a strong sense of the English musical traditions, and some of the more significant English musical influences on his work include Ralph Vaughn Williams, William Walton, and Benjamin Britten. Non-English influences include Fauré, Gregorian chant, and Bach. His Suite Antique is a direct tribute to the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, written for the same instruments and in the same style. His music's immediate accessibility, being both tuneful and expressive, and its wide general appeal, have earned him a place in the English musical tradition, and while he is most popular in England and the United States, his music is performed worldwide, particularly by church choirs.
© TiVo Staff /TiVo
Similar artists
-
John Rutter Christmas Album
Stephen Varcoe, Ruth Holton, Gerald Finley, Cambridge Singers, City Of London Sinfonia, John Rutter
Classical - Released by Collegium on 24 Sep 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Adeste Fideles: Christmas Carols from her Majesty's Chapel Royal
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 12 Aug 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Requiem - Five Anthems
Turtle Creek Chorale, The Women's Chorus of Dallas
Classical - Released by Tresona on 1 Jan 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fauré: Requiem & Other Sacred Music
John Rutter, The Cambridge Singers, City Of London Sinfonia
Classical - Released by Collegium on 1 Jan 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Sing of a Maiden: 5 New Carols by John Rutter
The Cambridge Singers, John Roberts, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, John Rutter, Jonathan Brown, Grace Davidson
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Collegium on 5 Nov 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Night: Carols of the Nativity (Remastered 2020)
John Rutter, The Cambridge Singers, City Of London Sinfonia, Nicholas Sears, Ruth Holton, Gerald Finley
Ambient/New Age - Released by Collegium on 1 Jan 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Star - Carols for The Christmas Season
Cambridge Singers, Cambridge Orchestra, John Rutter
Classical - Released by Collegium on 23 Sep 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
John Rutter: Visions & Requiem
John Rutter, Aurora Orchestra, The Cambridge Singers
Classical - Released by Collegium on 28 Oct 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best of John Rutter
Classical - Released by Decca (UMO) on 12 Nov 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classical Tranquillity
John Rutter, Manchester Camerata
Classical - Released by Collegium on 3 Nov 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
John Rutter: Magnificat
John Rutter, City Of London Sinfonia, The Cambridge Singers
Classical - Released by Collegium on 5 May 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Faire Is The Heaven - Music Of The English Church
Cambridge Singers, Mary Seers, John Rutter
Classical - Released by Collegium on 1 Sep 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
There Is Sweet Music - English Choral Songs 1890-1950
Cambridge Singers, Mark Padmore, Philip Sheffield, Nicholas Sears, John Rutter
Classical - Released by Collegium on 1 Jan 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Messiah, HWV 56
Classical - Released by Collegium on 4 Sep 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rutter: Carols from Clare
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BROTHER SUN, SISTER MOON
John Rutter, The Cambridge Singers
Classical - Released by American Gramaphone on 1 Apr 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Colours Of Christmas
John Rutter, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Bach Choir, Over The Bridge
Classical - Released by Decca (UMO) on 1 Jan 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The original Carols from Clare
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Be Thou My Vision - Sacred Music by John Rutter
Cambridge Singers, Caroline Ashton, City Of London Sinfonia, David Rix, John Rutter
Classical - Released by Collegium on 1 Oct 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
This Is the Day: Music on Royal Occasions
John Rutter, The Cambridge Singers, Aurora Orchestra
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Collegium on 24 Apr 2012
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lighten Our Darkness: Music for the Close of Day
Cambridge Singers, John Harte, Simon Wall, John Rutter
Classical - Released by Collegium on 1 Oct 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo