Gloria (Rutter)

Last updated
Gloria
Sacred vocal music by John Rutter
John Rutter.jpg
The composer in 2012
Text Gloria
LanguageLatin
Dedication Mel Olson
Performed5 May 1974 (1974-05-05): Omaha, Nebraska
Published1976
Movements3
Scoring
  • mixed choir
  • brass ensemble
  • percussion
  • organ or orchestra

John Rutter's Gloria is a musical setting of parts of the Latin Gloria. He composed it in 1974 on a commission from Mel Olson, and conducted the premiere in Omaha, Nebraska. He structured the text in three movements and scored it for choir, brass, percussion and organ, with an alternative version for choir and orchestra. It was published in 1976 by Oxford University Press.

Contents

The work has been recorded several times, including a first recording conducted by the composer, and has enjoyed success over the years. It has been performed by both professionals and lay ensembles. Described as "exalted, devotional and jubilant", [1] it has been part of Christmas concerts.

History

John Rutter grew up in the tradition of Anglican church music. He was a chorister already at Highgate School, taking part in the first recording of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem , conducted by the composer in 1963. [2] He was a choir member at Clare College, Cambridge, where he studied. He published his first compositions at age 18. [2]

Gloria resulted from a commission of Mel Olson, who conducted choirs in Omaha, Nebraska, for his choir The Voices of Mel Olson. It was Rutter's first commission from the US. [3] It is a setting of parts of the Latin Gloria, part of the mass. Rutter composed it in 1974. He structured the text in three movements and scored it for choir, brass, percussion and organ, with an alternative version for choir and orchestra. [4] Although setting a liturgical text, it was conceived as a concert piece. [5] Rutter composed it according to Olson's specifications, noting his influence: "Much of the credit must go to Mel Olson … because, in telling me what he was looking for in a new choral work, he was telling me what thousands of other choral directors were looking for too." [3]

Rutter conducted the premiere in Omaha on 5 May 1974, as his first premiere in the United States. It was published in 1976 by Oxford University Press in versions for organ or orchestra. [4]

Music

The text of the piece is the Gloria, the second part of the Latin Order of Mass. Rutter structured it in three movements, following the fast-slow-fast scheme typical of concertos:

  1. Allegro vivace – "Gloria in excelsis Deo" [6]
  2. Andante – "Domine Deus" [7]
  3. Vivace e ritmico – "Quoniam tu solus sanctus" [8]

The instrumentation for the brass version is a brass ensemble of four trumpets, two tenor trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani and percussion, and organ. The duration is given as 17 minutes. [4]

The composer explains the structure as "fast, slow, fast, in common with symphonic practice", and describes the movements as "exalted, devotional and jubilant". [1] He notes about the scoring: "The accompaniment is for brass ensemble with timpani, percussion and organ – a combination which in the outer movements makes quite a joyful noise unto the Lord, but which is used more softly and introspectively in the middle movement". [7] [1]

Gloria in excelsis Deo

The text of the first movement is "Gloria in excelsis Deo" (Glory to God in the highest), the angels' song from the Annunciation to the shepherds, as narrated by Luke. It is marked Allegro vivace . It begins with a brass fanfara and stays mostly forte . Brass and voices often alternate. [6] [9] Reviewer Malcolm Riley of Gramophone notes the movement's "incisive, punchy, syncopated brass opening" which sets the scene. [10] Bob Briggs notes in a review "strong rhythms and triumphant shouts from the chorus". [11]

Domine Deus

The text of the second movement, "Domine Deus" (Lord God) addresses Jesus as the Lamb of God, asking for mercy and for listening to prayers. It is marked Andante. The movement is mostly soft (piano). It is dominated by an ostinato of the organ, [8] and contains solos for the upper voices. [9] It has been described as "a gentle and restrained prayer". [11]

Quoniam tu solus sanctus

The text of the third movement is the conclusion, "Quoniam tu solus sanctus" (For you alone are Holy), ending in a doxology. It is marked Vivace e ritmico. The movement includes the climax of the work, a recapitulation of the beginning in text and music. It contains a fugue "Cum Sancto Spiritu", [3] and ends with a fast Amen. [8] [9]

Influences and reception

Rutter notes to have been influenced by Francis Poulenc, Igor Stravinsky and William Walton. [12] Poulenc composed a stand-alone Gloria for use in concerts in 1959. The brass treatment in Rutter's work shows similarities to Walton's cantata Belshazzar’s Feast . [13] Rutter also notes the influence of Gregorian chant throughout the work. [12] A reviewer notes as Rutter's hallmarks: "an unfailing knack to get to the root of the text, exquisitely balanced vocal writing, melting harmonies, intensely sweet turns of phrase (sometimes overtly saccharine), short ecstatic climaxes, but also a willingness to be astringent, and rhythmically powerful." [14] Another reviewer attributes the lasting success of Rutter's music to the facts that he "writes music that people want to perform and to hear", [3] and that it is interesting and challenging for performers "without putting insuperable obstacles in their path. [3] Because of its relation to the angelic annunciation, it has been included in Christmas concerts. Riley described the work in 2011 as evergreen. [10]

Recordings

The composer conducted the Cambridge Singers, the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and organist John Scott in the first recording in 1984. [15] [3] A 1995 recording combines Gloria with Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and works by Francis Poulenc, including Quatre petites prières de saint François d’Assise [16] and Litanies à la Vierge Noire . [11] Timothy Brown conducted the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, The Wallace Collection and organist Richard Pearce. [11]

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir recorded the work in 1997 in a collection A Christmas Gloria with the Canadian Brass. The version with orchestra was included in a 2001 collection Gloria & other sacred music by Rutter, performed by the choir Polyphony, the Wallace Collection, the City of London Sinfonia and organist Andrew Lumsden conducted by Stephen Layton. [5] [14] A 2011 recording of the brass version by the choirs of St Albans Cathedral, combines Gloria with Rutter's Magnificat and Te Deum. [3] Andrew Lucas conducted the choirs with treble voices of the cathedral's boys and girls choirs, the ensemble DeChorum and organist Tom Winpenny, bringing the music which had "semi-secular" origins back to the text's sacred function. The singing was called "spectacular, polished and vibrant". [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Rutter</span> English composer, conductor and arranger

John Milford Rutter is an English composer, conductor, editor, arranger, and record producer, mainly of choral music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony No. 1 (Brian)</span> Symphony composed by Havergal Brian

The Symphony No. 1 in D minor is a symphony composed by Havergal Brian between 1919 and 1927. At around 105 minutes it is among the longest symphonies ever composed. Along with choral symphonies such as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony or Mahler's Eighth Symphony, it is one of a few works attempting to use the musically gigantic to address the spiritual concerns of humanity. Beginning in D minor and closing in E major, the work is an example of progressive tonality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Cleobury</span> English organist and conductor (1948–2019)

Sir Stephen John Cleobury was an English organist and music director. He worked with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, where he served as music director from 1982 to 2019, and with the BBC Singers.

Simon John Preston was an English organist, conductor, and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Requiem (Rutter)</span>

John Rutter's Requiem is a musical setting of parts of the Latin Requiem with added psalms and biblical verses in English, completed in 1985. It is scored for soprano, mixed choir and orchestra or chamber ensemble.

<i>Berliner Messe</i> 1990 musical composition by Arvo Pärt

Berliner Messe is a mass setting by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Commissioned for the 90th Katholikentag in Berlin in 1990, it was originally scored for SATB soloists and organ. It was first performed at St. Hedwig's Cathedral on 24 May 1990, the Feast of the Ascension, with Paul Hillier conducting the Theatre of Voices. Pärt later (1997) revised the piece for chorus and string orchestra. Pärt uses his tintinnabuli technique throughout, with movements taking many forms within that style—flowing from quietly reverent duets between parts to full chorus proclamations of faith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Te Deum (Berlioz)</span>

The Te Deum by Hector Berlioz (1803–1869) was completed in 1849. Like the earlier and more famous Grande Messe des Morts, it is one of the works referred to by Berlioz in his Memoirs as "the enormous compositions which some critics have called architectural or monumental music." While the orchestral forces required for the Te Deum are not as titanic as those of the Requiem, the work calls for an organ that can compete on equal terms with the rest of the orchestra. It lasts approximately fifty minutes and derives its text from the traditional Latin Te Deum, although Berlioz changed the word order for dramatic purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Nethsingha</span> English choral conductor and organist (b. 1968)

Andrew Nethsingha, FRCO, ARCM is an English choral conductor and organist, the son of the late Lucian Nethsingha, also a cathedral organist. He was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey in London in 2023, having previous held similar positions at St John's College, Cambridge, Gloucester Cathedral and Truro Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reger-Chor</span> German-Belgian choir

The Reger-Chor is a German-Belgian choir. It was founded in Wiesbaden in 1985 and has been conducted by Gabriel Dessauer in Wiesbaden. Since 2001 it has grown to Regerchor-International in a collaboration with the organist Ignace Michiels of the St. Salvator's Cathedral of Bruges. The choir performs an annual concert both in Germany and Belgium of mostly sacred choral music for choir and organ. Concerts have taken place regularly in St. Bonifatius, Wiesbaden, and in the cathedral of Bruges in its series "Kathedraalconcerten". The choir performed additional concerts at other churches of the two countries and in the Concertgebouw of Bruges.

<i>Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate</i> Choral composition by George Frideric Handel

Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate is the common name for a sacred choral composition in two parts, written by George Frideric Handel to celebrate the Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, ending the War of the Spanish Succession. He composed a Te Deum, HWV 278, and a Jubilate Deo, HWV 279. The combination of the two texts in English follows earlier models. The official premiere of the work was on 13 July 1713 in a service in St Paul's Cathedral in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnificat (Vivaldi)</span> Musical compositions by Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Vivaldi made several versions of his G minor setting of the Magnificat canticle. He scored his best known version, RV 610, for vocal soloists, four-part choir, oboes and string orchestra, which also exists in a version for two groups of performers. He based these versions on an earlier setting for voices and strings only (RV 610b). His ultimate version, in which some choral and ensemble movements are replaced by five arias, to be sung a cappella by girls from the Ospedale della Pietà orphanage, was catalogued as RV 611. The concise work is well suited for use in vesper services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnificat (Rutter)</span> Musical composition by John Rutter

The Magnificat by John Rutter is a musical setting of the biblical canticle Magnificat, completed in 1990. The extended composition in seven movements "for soprano or mezzo-soprano solo, mixed choir, and orchestra " is based on the Latin text, interspersed with "Of a Rose, a lovely Rose", an anonymous English poem on Marian themes, the beginning of the Sanctus and a prayer to Mary. The music includes elements of Latin American music.

<i>Der 100. Psalm</i> Music composition by Max Reger

Der 100. Psalm, Op. 106, is a composition in four movements by Max Reger in D major for mixed choir and orchestra, a late Romantic setting of Psalm 100. Reger began composing the work in 1908 for the 350th anniversary of Jena University. The occasion was celebrated that year with the premiere of Part I, conducted by Fritz Stein on 31 July. Reger completed the composition in 1909. It was published that year and premiered simultaneously on 23 February 1910 in Chemnitz, conducted by the composer, and in Breslau, conducted by Georg Dohrn.

<i>Laetatus sum</i> (Nuffel)

Laetatus sum, Op. 45, is a musical setting of Psalm 122 in Latin by Jules Van Nuffel, composed in 1935 for mixed choir and organ.

Melvin Donald Olson was an American choral conductor who is known for introducing the compositions of John Rutter to the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Service in B-flat major, Op. 10 (Stanford)</span>

The Service in B-flat major, Op. 10, is a collection of Anglican church music by Charles Villiers Stanford for mixed choir and organ containing the canticles for each of the principal services of the Anglican Church. Stanford set the traditional liturgical texts in English in 1879 when he was the organist of Trinity College, Cambridge. They were published by Novello in 1902. Stanford orchestrated the work in 1903, with additional organ.

O clap your hands is an anthem in English for choir and organ by John Rutter. He composed the setting of verses from Psalm 47 in 1973 for a four-part choir and organ, and also made a version with orchestra. It was first published in 1973. Later, Rutter included it in Psalmfest, a collection of nine psalm settings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jörg Breiding</span>

Jörg Breiding is a German choral conductor and academic teacher. He has been the conductor of the Knabenchor Hannover since 2002. He taught at the Musikhochschule Lübeck, and has been professor of choral conducting at the Folkwang Hochschule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Requiem (Martin)</span> 1972 musical composition by Frank Martin

Requiem is a setting of the Latin Mass for the dead for four soloists, mixed choir, orchestra and organ by Frank Martin. Composed in 1971 and 1972, it was premiered at Lausanne Cathedral on 4 May 1973, with the composer conducting the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. It has been described as the composer's masterpiece.

Luke Bond is a British organist and is currently Assistant Organist at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, where he played prominently for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He has appeared internationally, and has made recordings of organ music and choral music.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 "W Walton – Belshazzar's Feast & J Rutter - Gloria". Symphony Choir of Johannesburg. 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  2. 1 2 O’Regan 2003.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Quinn 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Rutter 1976, p. I.
  5. 1 2 Green 2001.
  6. 1 2 Rutter 1976, pp. 1–15.
  7. 1 2 Rutter 1976, pp. 15–24.
  8. 1 2 3 Rutter 1976, pp. 24–44.
  9. 1 2 3 Roßbach 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 Riley 2011.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Briggs 2010.
  12. 1 2 Rutter 2011.
  13. Barnard 2011.
  14. 1 2 "Rutter Gloria and other Sacred Music". The Gramophone Newsletter. Gramophone . Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  15. 45worlds 2017.
  16. Quatre petites prières de Saint François d'Assise on data.bnf.fr

Sources

Further reading