Christmas Lullaby - John Rutter, The Cambridge Singers, City of London Sinfonia

'Christmas Lullaby'
From ‘The John Rutter Christmas Album’
The definitive collection of John Rutter carols and arrangements

Composer John Rutter
Conductor John Rutter
Choir The Cambridge Singers
Orchestra City of London Sinfonia

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Christmas Lullaby
This carol was commissioned in 1989 by The Bach Choir in celebration of the seventieth birthday of its conductor, Sir David Willcocks. The haunting melody of the verses and the reflective refrain of 'Ave Maria' have made this an immensely popular carol.

LYRICS:
Clear in the darkness a light shines in Bethlehem:
Angels are singing, their sound fills the air.
Wise men have journeyed to greet their Messiah;
But only a mother and baby lie there.

‘Ave Maria, ave Maria’:
Hear the soft lullaby the angel hosts sing.
‘Ave Maria, ave Maria,
Maiden, and mother of Jesus our King’.

Where are his courtiers, and who are his people?
Why does he bear neither sceptre nor crown?
Shepherds his courtiers, the poor for his people,
With peace as his sceptre and love for his crown.

What though your treasures are not gold or incense?
Lay them before him with hearts full of love.
Praise to the Christ child, and praise to his mother
Who bore us a Saviour by grace from above.

(Words and music: John Rutter)

The John Rutter Christmas Album
This album gathers together most of the carols composed by John Rutter over the years, plus a sprinkling of Rutter arrangements of traditional carols, grouped to form a programme which narrates, reflects upon, and celebrates the Christmas story.

John Rutter, English composer and conductor, is associated with choral music throughout the world. His recordings with the Cambridge Singers (the professional chamber choir he set up in 1983) have reached a wide global audience, many of them featuring his own music in definitive versions. Among John’s best-known choral works are Gloria, Requiem, Magnificat, Mass of the Children, and Visions, together with many church anthems, choral songs and Christmas carols.

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