The "Shepherd's Pipe Carol" is a modern Christmas carol composed by John Rutter. Rutter composed the carol whilst he was an undergraduate at university in 1966 with it being published a year later at the behest of David Willcocks.[1][2]
| "Shepherd's Pipe Carol" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Language | English |
| Written | 1966 |
| Published | 1967 |
| Genre | Christmas carol |
| Composer(s) | John Rutter |
History
editThe "Shepherd's Pipe Carol" was composed by John Rutter in 1966 when he was studying as an undergraduate at Clare College at the University of Cambridge.[1][2] Rutter stated that he believed his inspiration for writing it came from when he sang as a boy soprano during the opera "Amahl and the Night Visitors" and heard pipe music as the title character headed for Bethlehem with the Biblical Magi.[3]
The carol was first performed by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, conducted by Rutter at a Christmas concert.[2] A few days later, David Willcocks, the director of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, requested a copy of the manuscript, and he made calls to Oxford University Press for it to be published[4] and to EMI for it to be recorded.[2] It was Rutter's first composition to be published.[5] Rutter and Willcocks later formed a publishing partnership and helped to compile the Carols for Choirs series of hymnals from the second edition for the Church of England.[6]
Prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union, choirs in the Baltic states reportedly circulated photocopies and faxes of the "Shepherd's Pipe Carol" to be sung as a sign of resistance to Soviet control.[3][7]
Lyrics and score
editThe lyrics of the "Shepherd's Pipe Carol", set after the annunciation to the shepherds, are in third person about a shepherd boy playing pipe music on the way to Bethlehem.[8] The boy later states in the carol that he will perform his music for the baby Jesus when he reaches the stable where the Star of Bethlehem was located.[8] The music is scored for SATB and organ or small orchestra.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b Rutter, John (9 December 2005). "All together now". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
- ^ a b c d White, Michael (16 December 2017). "The Composer Who Owns Christmas". New York Times. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
- ^ a b Green, Andrew (2001). "Shepherd's Pipe Carol (Rutter) - from CDA67245". Hyperion Records. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
- ^ Rutter, John. "Remembering David Willcocks 1919–2015". Retrieved 2023-10-20.
- ^ Classical Music (2010-11-29). "World of John Rutter, composer and conductor". Telegraph. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
- ^ "RUTTER: Requiem / Anthems". Naxos Records. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
- ^ "I'm not in the business of making artistic claims for myself". BBC Music Magazine. Vol. 3, no. 1–6. BBC. 1994. p. 42. ISSN 0966-7180.
- ^ a b "John Rutter – Shepherd's Pipe Carol Lyrics". Genius Lyrics. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
- ^ Shepherd's Pipe Carol - John Rutter. John Rutter Anniversary Edition. Oxford University Press. 18 June 2015. ISBN 978-0-19-340740-4. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
External links
edit- Jeremy Grimshaw: John Rutter / Shepherd's Pipe Carol AllMusic
- John Rutter: Shepherd’s Pipe Carol landofllostcontent.blogspot.com 2014