Mass of the Children

Mass of the Children

for soprano and baritone soloists, children's choir, adult choir, and orchestra or chamber ensemble The text is that of a standard Latin Missa brevis, to which several relevant English poetic texts have been added. The first and last of these are taken from Bishop Thomas Ken's renowned morning and evening hymns for the scholars of Winchester College. They give the whole work the framework of a complete day, from waking to sleeping, within which other texts and moods appear like events in that day or landmarks in a life. Vocal scores are available on sale or on hire. Instrumental material is available on hire. John Rutter studied music at Clare College, Cambridge and first came to notice as a composer and arranger of Christmas carols and other choral pieces during those early years; today his compositions, including such concert-length works as Requiem, Magnificat, Mass of the Children, The Gift of Life, and Visions are performed around the world. John edits the Oxford Choral Classics series, and, with Sir David Willcocks, co-edited four volumes of Carols for Choirs. In 1983 he formed his own choir The Cambridge Singers, with whom he has made numerous recordings on the Collegium Records label, and he appears regularly in several countries as a guest conductor and choral ambassador. John holds a Lambeth Doctorate in Music, and in 2007 was awarded a CBE for services to music. In September 2023, he received the Ivors Academy Fellowship, and in 2024 he was knighted in the King's Birthday Honours.