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Composer of the Month - December, 2003

John Rutter, 1945-
by Daryl Lee

Without question, no other contemporary composer has had the influence on Christmas music that John Rutter has.  His Christmas music ranges from the thrilling Gloria to his many carols that are striking for their simplicity and beauty.

Born in Cambridge, England in 1945, Rutter was the son of a scientist and grandson of an engineer, so a career in music was not so obvious for him as it was for other composers in this series.  He was the eldest child, preceding his sister by ten years, so he had a lot of time to himself. He enjoyed spending his spare time experimenting with the old upright piano that was there mainly because it had been left by a previous tenant and was too heavy to move out.  Because he didn't receive formal instruction during those years, he bypassed the traditional scales and arpeggios, instead crafting tunes that were pleasing to him. This early self-training in the production of pleasing melodies is surely the basis for his penchant for "accessible" music.

His formal musical training began early, as a chorister at Highgate School in London.  Far more than just an ordinary school choir, this group recorded War Requiem under the baton of Benjamin Britten. His director expected musical composition at the same level and frequency that literature instructors expect essays, so the notion of composing music came very naturally to him.  The popular Shepherd's Pipe Carol was written at the ripe old age of eighteen. 

After Highgate, he entered Clare College, Cambridge. He must have done well, because at the age of 30 he became its director of music. However, the demand for commissioned work coming on the heels of the overwhelming popularity of Gloria (1974) caused him to resign after only five years to dedicate himself to composition. He soon realized that he missed having a choir to conduct, so the Cambridge Singers was born, so called because all the participants share a common thread of ties to Cambridge University.

Even though Rutter has demonstrated his ability to compose stirring choral music, his collection of carols remains the most persistent view that most people have of him today. They have certainly provided him financial success: their royalties alone provide him the financial security to pursue such pursuits as the Cambridge Singers and his own recording label, Collegium.  He has always avoided the limitations imposed by the academic trends of the moment, preferring instead to produce what people have in mind when they say, "I can't seem to get that tune out of my head."

Besides being invited to conduct at such illustrious events as the Queen Mother's Birthday celebration, Rutter has been recognized in the U.K. by having been named Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians in 1980 and with the title of Lambeth Doctorate of Music, awarded by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1996.  His popularity in the U.S. is recognized by his having been made an Honorary Fellow of Westminster Choir College at Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey.  We are indeed fortunate that John Rutter remains active in composition and conducting, as this gives us hope for a continued production of the kind of music that has set him apart among composers.

For further reading on the life and work of John Rutter:
- http://www.collegiumusa.com/reviews/3_inter_rutter_classic_cd.html
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/friday_review/story/0,3605,414360,00.html
- http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/2820/rutt.html
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A876873
- http://dcguild.home.mindspring.com/Programs/19960203.html
- http://www.naxos.com/composer/btm.asp?fullname=Rutter,%20John

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