John Rutter
John Rutter writes and arranges choral music that sits easily with choirs and congregations: Christmas carols, hymns for the church year, and extended sacred works whose melodies are built for the human voice.
His carols and anthems often exist in several scorings, from keyboard to full orchestra, so the same piece can serve a parish choir or a concert stage. The writing draws on English and French choral habits as well as lighter songcraft, keeping lines singable and the harmony clear. On record he appears both as composer, with Angels' Carol among modern seasonal settings, and as arranger of traditional Christmas and hymn tunes shaped for full acoustic spaces. Larger works such as the Gloria, Requiem and Magnificat sit in the regular choral repertoire beside the shorter pieces choirs return to each year.
Compositions by John Rutter appear on
Christmas Day
Ranging from a cappella singing to full orchestral colour, these carols make an ideal gift for music-loving friends. The programme is mostly modern, yet warmly listenable.