Nativity Carol (John Rutter)

My introduction to John Rutter was in the recording, The Holly and the Ivy: Carols from Clare College. I love Christmas music and this album became a favorite and made me pay attention to the work of John Rutter who is one of the most notable composers and choral directors living today. Rutter has certainly made his mark in sacred choral music.  “Nativity Carol” is one of Rutter’s compositions and appears on The John Rutter Christmas Album.  It is performed here by the King’s College Choir, Cambridge

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Monday Music: Blow, Blow Thou Bitter Wind (John Rutter)

Just because it is the middle of January, here is some winter music. The lyrics are from Shakespeare
(As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII), and the music by John Rutter.

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A Blessing for the Feast of St. Francis

Today is the Feast Day for St. Francis of Assisi. When I visited Assisi and toured the beautiful Basilica, there was a Franciscan monk leading a tour of the upper and lower churches which feature beautiful frescoes depicting the life of Christ (upper church) and the life of St. Francis. When he completed the tour, the monk said, "Now I want to pronounce to you Francis' favorite blessing, it's found in the Old Testament:

The Lord bless you and keep you

The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you

The Lord lift his countenance upon you

And give you peace

The monk then bid us to go in peace. I recognized the words of that blessing having read them in Numbers 6: 24-26. But I recognized them primarily as the benediction that was often sung at the end of the Sunday service at Jackson's Gap Baptist Church where my father served as pastor when I was a child. 

Here is John Rutter's arrangement of that ancient blessing:

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* The St. Francis icon pictured above is by Marcy Hall and is one of her Dancing Monks series
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Monday Music: John Rutter's Nativity Carol

My introduction to John Rutter was in the recording, The Holly and the Ivy: Carols from Clare College. I love Christmas music and this album became a favorite and made me pay attention to the work of John Rutter who is one of the most notable composers and choral directors living today. Rutter has certainly made his mark in sacred choral music.  “Nativity Carol” is one of Rutter’s compositions and appears on The John Rutter Christmas Album.  It is performed here by the King’s College Choir, Cambridge

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Monday Music: Wexford Carol

The Wexford Carol may be my all time favorite carol. It is an Irish carol that originated in County Wexford and dates from the 12th century. My first encounter with the carol was in the mid 1980s when I was singing in the choir at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Birmingham.  John Rutter’s arrangement and recording of the carol is one of the best, in my opinion. (Yo Yo Ma and Alison Krauss also recorded a beautiful rendition of the carol which you can find on a previous post here)