Shepherd's Pipe Carol

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
LanguageEnglish
Written1966
Published1967 (1967)
GenreChristmas carol
Composer(s)John Rutter

History

The "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

The 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
  1. Rutter, John (9 December 2005). "All together now". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  2. White, Michael (16 December 2017). "The Composer Who Owns Christmas". New York Times. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  3. Green, Andrew (2001). "Shepherd's Pipe Carol (Rutter) - from CDA67245". Hyperion Records. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  4. Rutter, John. "Remembering David Willcocks 1919–2015". Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  5. Classical Music (2010-11-29). "World of John Rutter, composer and conductor". Telegraph. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  6. "RUTTER: Requiem / Anthems". Naxos Records. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  7. "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.
  8. "John Rutter – Shepherd's Pipe Carol Lyrics". Genius Lyrics. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  9. 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.
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