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.

A Weekend Escape to Eboracum (York)

My eighth grade Latin teacher would be proud of me for using the Roman name for York in this title.  York is a city in northern England in the county of Yorkshire.   A few weekends ago, we decided to explore this historic city with some friends from Canada.  It is a beautiful town halfway between Edinburgh and London.  It's an easy two hour train ride and once again, I found myself enjoying a break from the big city.  York is a city with a history that goes back to the 70's a.d.  (not the 1970's either!)  It has been under the rule of Romans, Saxons, Vikings and Normans.  King George VI once said that the history of York is the history of England.  Battles were fought that helped to determine the fate of the entire nation. 

 We had perfect weather for the weekend and York is an easy town to explore on foot.  York's finest landmark is York Minster which you can see in the background.  It towers over the city and was built as a flagship of the Christian faith at the northern end of the Roman Empire.

a morning row by University students

York was built on the Rivers Ouse and Foss. It also has thousands of University students which come from all over.  We took an afternoon tour of the city and our guide was from Venezuela.  She had come to York eight years ago for an advanced degree in Ancient History and has been living in York since then.






On a tip from a London cab driver, we went to Betty's Cafe for brunch. The specialty was York Rarebit.  Here is our order that we all shared!

The Shambles is a street in old York with timber framed buildings, some dating back as far as the fourteenth century. Some say it is the best preserved medieval street in the world and was mentioned in the Domesday Book of William the Conqueror in 1086. 

near the Shambles, Saturday market

                                                             

a list of cheeses at the open air market

 I love this names of these cheeses.  As you would expect, the British cheeses are of all varieties and excellent.   It's hard to walk in to a grocery store and not come out with a new variety every time.  The name of the last cheese on the list is quite interesting although I haven't tried it yet.










The highlight of my trip to York was our visit to York Minster, the incredible Gothic Cathedral in the heart of the city.

York Minster

If you ever read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, you'll appreciate the artistry that went into the building of the English cathedrals.  It's absolutely astounding to me how these churches were built in Medieval times.  This is a view of York Minster from our hotel room. You can see how it towers over the entire city.  It's breathtaking.  York Minster was built as the seat of the Archbishop of York and worship has been offered here for about 1,400 years.   A "Mynster" was an Anglo-Saxon word for a missionary church.  York Minster is one the largest Gothic Cathedrals in northern Europe.

the gargoyles await you as you enter the cathedral

                        The Great West Window, also known as the "Heart of Yorkshire" because of the heart shape in the stonework of the top part of the window. It was finished in 1338.
       

the Great West Window

Gargoyles were used to take water from a roof and away from the side of buildings.  The gargoyle's grotesque forms were said to scare off evil spirits.


   

 The painted ceiling of the Chapter House dates from 1798.

We wanted to attend Evensong; however,there was a wedding that afternoon and so there was no Evensong.  We did however, hear the choir practicing for the wedding and see the ushers getting ready for the festivities.

the Grand Organ in the Quire

the front of York Minster

St. Mary's Abbey ruins

The Abbey of St. Mary was once the richest abbey in the north of England.  It was closed and then destroyed under Henry VIII and the only thing that remains today are these walls.

We walked the Roman wall of the old city

One of the Roman gates to enter the old city

                                                                

 Our weekend at York was a success.  We had time to relax, enjoy the beautiful Autumn weather, the company of good friends and take in the history that this city offers.   Of course, no visit to a cathedral city is complete without the ringing of the bells.  They rang continuously for an hour before and after the Saturday wedding and again on Sunday morning.  Enjoy!

A view of the English countryside from the train on the way back to London.