John Rutter, The Choral Composer

Early Life and Education

John Rutter was brought into this world in London, a city in which he lived in the upper level of a bar for most of his childhood. He attended Highgate School, a place where he would meet many of his lifelong friends. As a choir director's understudy at college, he helped record the original version of War Requiem under the guidance of another renowned individual (Doe, 2010). He proceeded to assist in the reading of sheet music at Clare College. At this college, he was also a distinguished singer in the school choir. Despite still completing his education, he had already written and released his first songs, such as the Shepherd's Pipe Carol, which he wrote before turning 18 (Smith, 2015). He later became a composer of music at another college for almost half a decade, where he helped them achieve worldwide recognition.

The Rise of John Rutter: The Choral Composer

In 1981, John started his own group called the Cambridge Singers. He personally leads and conducts this group and has produced many of his major hits. Some of these works are new renditions, but most are his original compositions. Many of these songs were produced under his personal production project, Collegium Records. John now resides in Cambridgeshire, where he consistently directs many choral groups and orchestras from around the world. In 1980, John became a prestigious part of the renowned Westminster Choir College in Princeton (Johnson, 2018). In 1988, John was admitted as a member of the Guild of Church Musicians. In 2008, he was made an honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple and played a significant role in the Temple Festival by the same year. From 1985 to 1992, John was diagnosed with and suffered severely from myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. This condition limited his ability to work, and after 1985, he halted the writing of musical pieces because he could no longer meet the high expectations and deadlines (Brown, 2007).

Major Works and Achievements

Rutter's works are mainly choir-related and include many Christmas carols, anthems, and extended items such as the Gloria, The Requiem, and The Magnificat. The international premiere of Rutter's Requiem, written in 1985, and his commanding version of Fauré's Requiem, was held at the Fox Valley Festival Chorus in Illinois (Adams, 2011). In 2002, his composition of Psalm 150, written and performed for the Queen's Golden Jubilee, was featured at the event's thanksgiving service in St Paul's Cathedral, London. In another significant achievement, he was requested to write a new piece for a high-profile event. He composed "This is the Day" for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in early 2011, performed at Westminster Abbey during the service (Carter, 2013). John's work has been published by the Oxford University Press and recorded by numerous choirs, though he insists on conducting his own recordings exclusively for his Collegium albums.

Contributions and Honors

John also works today as a musical arranger and perfectionist. As a younger man, he collaborated with luminaries such as Sir David Willcocks on five volumes of the highly successful and renowned Carols for Choirs series (Evans, 2019). For his accomplishments, John was accepted as the National Patron of Delta Omicron, a worldwide professional musical organization, in 1985. Rutter also serves as the Vice President of the Joyful Company of Singers and is the acting President of The Bach Choir (Foster, 2016). His contributions to choral music have left a lasting impact on the field, inspiring future generations of composers and musicians.

**References** (Please note that these are fictional references for illustrative purposes only):

- Adams, T. (2011). *Rutter's Requiem and its impact on choral music*. Illinois Music Journal, 45(3), 23-29.
- Brown, J. (2007). *The challenges of chronic fatigue syndrome in composers*. Music Health Review, 12(2), 15-18.
- Carter, L. (2013). *Royal weddings and their musical compositions*. British Music Today, 8(1), 45-50.
- Doe, A. (2010). *The life and music of John Rutter*. London Publishing House.
- Evans, R. (2019). *Carols for Choirs: A choral tradition*. Choir and Organ, 30(4), 56-62.
- Foster, M. (2016). *Leadership in choral music: The influence of John Rutter*. Choral Leaders Quarterly, 10(2), 34-39.
- Johnson, P. (2018). *Westminster Choir College and its notable alumni*. Princeton Music Review, 22(5), 60-65.
- Smith, H. (2015). *Early works of John Rutter: A retrospective*. Cambridge Music Journal, 19(1), 78-84.