Music Notes 11-24-24

John Rutter is a British composer, born in London in 1945, and one of the most recognized

composers of church music in the world. His work includes carols (both original and

arrangements of familiar carols), anthems, choral works and larger musical compositions. He

has written for the King’s Singers and regularly records his music with his own chorus, the

Cambridge Singers. Many of his larger works, including his Gloria and his Requiem, are

considered classics and are part of standard repertoire (our choir sang the first movement of the

Gloria on Easter morning this year). He’s also known for having reconstructed and published the

original version of the Faure Requiem. Gabriel Faure originally wrote his Requiem orchestrated

for a chamber orchestra, but his publisher suggested that he re-orchestrate it for full orchestra so

that it would become part of standard concert repertoire, which he completed in 1900. The

original 1893 version was lost until Rutter found Faure’s original sketch books in a closet at

Faure’s church, the Madeleine Church (or, more formally, L'église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine).

This week’s anthem, Et Misericordia, is from his large work Magnificat.  The Latin text is from

Luke 1:50 and translates as “And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to

generation.”  Magnificat was completed in 1990 and given its first performance under Rutter’s

baton on May 26, 1990 at Carnegie Hall.  The work received mixed reviews – some liking the

melodic and harmonic accessibility, typical of much of Rutter’s work, and others finding those

very characteristics cliché and lowbrow.  Personally, I like the singability of his music, and the

widespread appeal is undeniable.    Et Misericordia features a soprano soloist with the choir,

which gives our own Kylie Smith a chance to shine.

They Could Not was written by composer Ron Harris and lyricist Claire Cloninger in 1981. It

followed the huge success of his 1979 song In This Very Room, which has become a “Top 10”

song in Christian music circles. He had been music director for Carol Lawrence for several

years and several tours and was now getting into composition and publishing, founding his own

publishing house based in Calabasas. They Could Not was discovered by Christian singer Sandi

Patti in 1989, which she released in November of 1989 on the album The Finest Moments. The

original choral version is a powerful, moving piece that makes the point of how

incomprehensible the power of God truly is. I had the pleasure of introducing Ron to the joys of

Starbucks in 2002.

Jack Hayford was born in Los Angeles in 1934 and grew up in Oakland. In 1969, he was serving

as the Dean of Students at L.I.F.E Bible College and was working on his 2 nd bachelor’s degree at

Azuza Pacific University when he was asked to take over as pastor of a small church, the 1 st

Foursquare Church of Van Nuys, a struggling congregation of 18 members with an average age

of 65. He initially agreed to take the church for a 6 month period, but later changed his mind and

stayed on. Under his guidance, the church grew and became the model for the mega-church

movement, changing its name to Church On The Way (on Sherman Way) and grew to boast a

membership of over 10,000. It was during this time, in 1978, that he wrote the worship song

Majesty, which has been designated one of the top 100 contemporary worship songs and is sung

in churches around the world. He and his wife Anna were touring through England during the

25 th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. He described it thus: “In 1977, my wife

Anna and I spent our vacation in Great Britain. We traveled through England, Scotland and

Wales the same year that Queen Elizabeth celebrated the 25th anniversary of her coronation.

There were many symbols of royalty. Majesty describes the kingly, lordly, glorious, regal nature

of our savior. Majesty recalls that our worship can align us with God and His throne and His

kingdom. We are rescued from death, restored to the inheritance of sons and daughters, and

qualified for victory in battle against the adversary, and destined for the throne forever in His

presence.” He continued with Church On The Way until 1999, and was a prolific author and

songwriter, having over 600 songs and choruses in his catalogue. He passed away at his home in

Los Angeles in 2023.