7 Give the king thy judgements, O God (7' 08") JOHN RUTTER 8 A flower remembered (3' 33") 9 The Quest (6' 40") The Gift of Life Solo oboe: David Theodore Six Canticles of Creation 10 Psalm 150 (5' 37") Solo vocal trio: Kate Ashby, Helen Ashby, Alice Gribbin and seven sacred pieces 11 Christ is the morning star (4' 35") 12 All bells in paradise (5' 25") The Cambridge Singers 13 Rejoice and sing (3' 58") Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (leader: Duncan Riddell) conducted by John Rutter All tracks except track 9: © Collegium Music Publications, published by Oxford University Press in most countries, and by Hinshaw Music, Inc. in USA. Track 9: © Oxford University Press, published worldwide by Oxford University Press. Total playing time: 77' 27" Words credits are listed with each text (see pp. 4–19) All music is by John Rutter THE CAMBRIDGE SINGERS Sopranos: Helen Ashby, Kate Ashby, Christine Buras, Jessica Cale, Hannah Ely, Rachel 1 – 6 The Gift of Life (40' 00") Ambrose Evans, Alice Gribbin, Eloise Irving, Marie Macklin, Dani May, Ruth McElvanney, Philippa Murray, Louise Prickett, Amy Wood 1 O all ye works of the Lord (8' 43") Altos: Nancy Cole, Rosie Goodall, Lara Harvey, Harriet Hougham-Slade, Becky Jones, 2 The tree of life (6' 15") Carris Jones, Katie Schofield Tenors: Ben Alden, Ruairi Bowen, David Condry, Thomas Herford, Robert Jenkins, 3 Hymn to the Creator of Light (7' 27") Matthew Sandy, Julian Stocker, Peter Di-Toro 4 O Lord, how manifold are thy works (8' 09") Basses: Nicholas Ashby, Neil Bellingham, Tim Dickinson, Josh Edwards, Cheyney Kent, 5 The gift of each day (3' 18") Richard Latham, Alex Learmonth, Andrew Rupp, Edmund Saddington Choral management: Simon Wall 6 Believe in life (5' 51") 2 3 his album presents eight of my recent choral works. The largest of these, The six movements of The Gift of Life reflect different facets of the miracles of creation The Gift of Life, is my first extended choral work since Mass of the Children (written and of life, and I was happy to be able to include as the third of them my Hymn to the Creator over ten years ago), and it has been a pleasure to be able to record it less than three of Light, originally written in 1992 as an unaccompanied double-choir motet in memory of Tmonths after its première in April 2015. The other seven pieces have been written for a the composer Herbert Howells on the occasion of the dedication of his new memorial variety of occasions, private and public, which are detailed in the notes that follow. Five of window in Gloucester Cathedral. I had always felt slightly wistful that this piece was these new pieces were originally written with accompaniments for organ or small-scale somewhat of an orphan on its own, and here was an opportunity to give it a home as part of instrumental forces, but they are heard here in versions with orchestral accompaniment, a larger work. I added a discreet orchestral accompaniment to enrich the texture and to some of which I scored specially for this recording. Christmas carols continue to feature in make it more consistent with the other five movements. my output, and as a seasonal PS I have concluded our album with three new ones. I gratefully acknowledge the generosity of David and Miranda Lind who provided funds As ever, a deep and grateful bow goes to my choir the Cambridge Singers and to the for the commissioning of The Gift of Life. The score is inscribed ‘in honour of Terry Price Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, my partners in many concerts and recordings in recent and in memory of Alice Marie Lind, commissioned by David and Miranda Lind’. years. JOHN RUTTER 1 O all ye works of the Lord O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. NOTES AND TEXTS O ye angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye heavens, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. 1 – 6 The Gift of Life O ye waters that be above the firmament, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him I wrote The Gift of Life early in 2015 as a result of a chance conversation at a choral convention for ever. in 2013 with an old friend, Terry Price. He was planning to retire from his position as O all ye powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. Minister of Music at a church in Dallas, and his church wanted to give him an appropriate O ye sun and moon, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. gift to mark his many years of service; I was already thinking I would like to write a fairly O ye stars of heaven, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. substantial new choral work with orchestra, and these two thoughts came together. Terry’s O ye showers and dew, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. church immediately agreed that this new work would be the right gift, and a theme soon O ye winds of God, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. suggested itself: in 1985 I had written a Requiem – which, like any Requiem, inevitably O ye fire and heat, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye winter and summer, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. reflects on death – why not write the opposite, a work celebrating life? O ye dews and frosts, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. Unlike a Requiem, where a set form of words is laid down in Catholic liturgy, no O ye frost and cold, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. framework exists for a celebration of life, and I had to choose (and in three cases, write) O ye ice and snow, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. texts which were appropriate to a theme rarely expressed in music since Haydn’s wondrous O ye nights and days, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. oratorio The Creation in 1798. 4 5 O ye light and darkness, ye lightnings and clouds: praise him, and magnify him for ever. 2 The tree of life O let the earth bless the Lord: yea, let it praise him, and magnify him for ever. The tree of life my soul hath seen, I’m wearied with my former toil, O ye mountains and hills, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. Laden with fruit, and always green; Here I shall sit and rest awhile; O all ye green things upon the earth, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. The trees of nature fruitless be Under the shadow I will be O ye wells, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. Compared with Christ the apple tree. Of Jesus Christ the apple tree. O ye seas and floods, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. The tree of life . O ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify This beauty doth all things excel; him for ever. By faith I know, but ne’er can tell This fruit doth make my soul to thrive, O all ye fowls of the air, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. The glory which I now can see It keeps my dying faith alive; O all ye beasts and cattle, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. In Jesus Christ the apple tree. Which makes my soul in haste to be O ye children of men, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. The tree of life . With Jesus Christ the apple tree. O let Israel bless the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. The tree of life . O ye priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. For happiness I long have sought, O ye servants of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. And pleasure dearly I have bought; (from the collection of Joshua Smith, O ye spirits and souls of the righteous, ye holy and humble men of heart, bless ye the I missed for all, but now I see New Hampshire, 1784) Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. ’Tis found in Christ the apple tree. O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; 3 Hymn to the Creator of Light As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen. Glory be to thee, O Lord, glory be to thee, (Canticle of the Three Holy Children, Creator of the visible light, the sun’s ray, the flame of fire. from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer) Creator also of the light invisible and intellectual, That which is known of God, the light invisible. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow, Glory be to thee, O Lord, glory be to thee, (Gloria in excelsis Deo) Creator of the light, Praise him, all creatures here below, for writings of the law, glory be to thee, Praise him above, ye heavenly host, for oracles of prophets, glory be to thee, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.