The King of Blis

ISBN-13: 9780193370098 / Angielski / Nuty / 2010 / 16 str.

Opis

for SATB unaccompanied This lively and uplifting carol sets a joyful fifteenth-century Christmas text by James Ryman. The music is rhythmic and powerful, with moments of rich and vibrant harmony offset by the strong, fanfare-like Latin refrain. The King of Blis is guaranteed to prove a popular choice with choirs and audiences.

Recenzje

Rutter is in spikier mode than in Carol of the Magi. Indeed, in some respects, The King of Blis is akin to carols such as Walton's Make we joy now in this fest, but more complex, having different music for some of the stanzas, and the music of the refrain is not always the same. The rhythms bounce along with frequent changes of time signature and the harmonies are spiced with added notes. There are fine compositional touches: neat imitation, motivic inversion and superimposition of 5/8 and 6/8 time. Those who find some of Rutter's output a little too sugary will find much to delight them in this piquant piece.

O autorze

John Rutter studied music at Clare College, Cambridge and first came to notice as a composer and arranger of Christmas carols and other choral pieces during those early years; today his compositions, including such concert-length works as Requiem, Magnificat, Mass of the Children, The Gift of Life, and Visions are performed around the world. John edits the Oxford Choral Classics series, and, with Sir David Willcocks, co-edited four volumes of Carols for Choirs. In 1983 he formed his own choir The Cambridge Singers, with whom he has made numerous recordings on the Collegium Records label, and he appears regularly in several countries as a guest conductor and choral ambassador. John holds a Lambeth Doctorate in Music, and was awarded a CBE for services to music in 2007.