Come and Sing with John Rutter

I spent the month of November in Ohio reconnecting with friends and enjoying some of the things I miss in London (the dog, driving, Target, CVS) so this is a long overdue blog on the wonderful day Tom and I spent with John Rutter in late October.  

I've realized that if I don't scan the internet every day when I'm in London that I could miss out on some fantastic opportunities.  That is what happened on Monday, October 20.  As I was looking for something in London that might catch my interest,  I stumbled upon a page that said, "Come and Sing with John Rutter."  I quickly checked out the details  (time, place, cost), then proceeded to book two tickets (Tom agreed to come with me).  

Anyone who has sung in church choirs has probably sung some of John Rutter's music, especially his Christmas carols  (Shepherd's Pipe Carol, Donkey Carol, Star Carol, Candlelight Carol).  He also has written a Magnificat, Gloria and Requiem.  


On Saturday, October 25, Tom and I went to the Temple Church, a late 12th century church, where we were to join John Rutter for our day of singing.    The church is between Fleet Street and the River Thames.  Our morning rehearsal was held at the Middle Temple Hall, an Elizabethan Hall which was begun in 1562.  It is also where Shakespeare's Twelfth Night was preformed for the first time at Candlemas  in 1602.

the carvings on the wall in the Middle Temple Hall

There were about 100 people who had joined us for the day.  Our morning was spent singing SATB music of Rutter, Stanford's fantastic Magnificat in B flat and a beautiful Russian setting of the Lord's Prayer by Antony Arensky.   I continue to be amazed at how so many people in this country  know how to sing AND sightread.


Mr. Rutter entertained us with his charismatic personalty, engaging sense of humor and his stories of his work with Westminster Abbey Organist and Choirmaster James O'Donnell on the music for the Royal Wedding.   He told the story of O'Donnell calling him one day and telling him that Prince Charles had requested that Rutter write an anthem for the Royal Wedding.  He agreed.  

Almost immediately after that Prince Charles called O'Donnell again, asking to preview the music in a week.  Mr. Rutter kindly requested that he be given more than a week to write the music.  So, they put off the meeting for about a month, and the piece that was written (This is the Day) was previewed, approved, and performed at the Royal Wedding.  The words are taken from different Psalms that represent the story of the Royal couple.  For me, the most touching of these was taken from Psalm 91:  "For he shall give his angels charge over thee... to keep thee in all thy ways."  Rutter said he included that text to incorporate the memory of Diana in the ceremony.

Another of my favorite moments was when Rutter asked the altos for more sound, saying "I like my altos fiery."  I'm not sure I've ever heard a conductor refer to altos as "fiery", but I liked it.  

His other comment that I loved was this: "Starting a song should be like switching on a light, not revving up a motor."  What a great way to tell your choir not to scoop!  It created a perfect visual and it immediately took care of the problem.

Our rehearsal space in Middle Hall

The Round Church 

After lunch, we moved to the Temple Church to perform the music that we had practiced in the morning. The Temple Church was built by the Knights Templar, the order of crusading monks founded to protect pilgrims on their way to and from Jerusalem in the 12th century. 

The Church is in two parts: the Round and the Chancel. The Round Church was consecrated in 1185 by the patriarch of Jerusalem. It was designed to recall the holiest place in the Crusaders' world: the circular Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It is a beautiful, spiritual space - and has  wonderful acoustics for singing. The Church also was featured in the novel The Da Vinci Code and was used in the film as well.

We performed the Russian piece in the Round Church surrounding effigies of the Knights Templar of the Crusades. They believed that to be buried in the round was to be buried in Jerusalem, the center of the Crusaders' world.

Effigies of the Knights Templar

After this we moved to the Chancel part of the Temple Church, a larger section designed more like a traditional cathedral, to sing the Stanford Magnificat and other British choral songs with the organ.

The Chancel

At Tom's encouraging, I did ask Mr. Rutter for an autograph of the piece he composed for the Royal Wedding.  He's a class act.  This is the fourth year he has done a Come and Sing in London.  He has other Come and Sing days around the U.K. and loves to share his love of choral singing (and his music) with everyone.    We hope he comes back  for a fifth year in London so we can do this again!

This is one of my favorite pieces of John Rutter:  The Lord Bless You and Keep You.  It is sung here by the Westminster Abbey Choir on the occasion of Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth's 60th wedding anniversary.