Masterclass and Concert: John Rutter's Magnificat
To approach the figure of composer John Rutter (b. 1945) is somehow to confront the last forty years of English sacred music history, through its most prominent exponents and its prestigious choral ensembles.
John Rutter's Magnificat is a musical interpretation of the biblical canticle of the Magnificat, completed in 1990. The composition consists of seven movements for soprano or mezzo-soprano solo, mixed choir and orchestra (or chamber ensemble) and is based on the Latin text, interspersed with 'Of a Rose, a lovely Rose', an anonymous English poem on Marian themes, the beginning of the Sanctus and a prayer to Mary. The music includes elements of Latin American music. The composer conducted the first performance at Carnegie Hall on 26 May 1990 and the first recording with the Cambridge Singers and the City of London Sinfonia. Oxford University Press published Magnificat in 1991 and Of a Rose, a lovely Rose separately in 1998.While the Magnificat canticle has often been set to music, being a regular part of Catholic vespers and Anglican afternoons, Rutter's work is one of the few extended versions, along with the same composition by Bach.
The composer wrote:
The Magnificat - a poetic expression of praise, joy and trust in God, ascribed by Luke to the Virgin Mary on learning that she would give birth to Christ - has always been one of the most familiar and beloved scriptural texts, not least because of its inclusion as a canticle in the Catholic Office of Vespers and the Anglican Evensong. Musical compositions abound, though surprisingly few of them, since the time of J.S. Bach, deal with the text extensively. I had long wanted to write an extended Magnificat but was unsure how to approach it until I found my starting point in the text's association with the Virgin Mary. In countries like Spain, Mexico and Puerto Rico, the Virgin's feasts are joyful occasions for people to take to the streets and celebrate with singing, dancing and processions. These images of open-air celebrations were, I think, somewhere in my mind as I was writing, although I was not fully aware of them until a certain point. I was aware that I was following Bach's example in adding to the liturgical text the beautiful English poem "Of a Rose" and the prayer "Sancta Maria" (both reinforcing the Marian link) and the Gregorian chant of the "Sanctus" from the Missa Cum Jubilo interpolated in the third movement. The composition of the Magnificat occupied several hectic weeks in early 1990, and the premiere took place in May of that year at New York's Carnegie Hall.
Musicologist John Bawden notes that Rutter's work has several features in common with Bach's composition: both repeat material from the first movement in the last, use Gregorian chant melodies, dedicate the 'most reflective verses' to a soloist, and insert additional texts related to Christmas.
The first day (29 March) and the morning of the second (30 March) of the masterclass will be dedicated to an in-depth study of the Magnificat with the composer himself conducting. On the afternoon of Sunday 30 March 2025, a public performance of the work is planned with the participants' choir, soloists and orchestra.
Where and When:
Rimini, Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 March 2025. Rimini, Teatro degli Atti and Teatro Galli
