Gloria (Rutter)

The Gloria by the English composer John Rutter is a three-movement work about 16 minutes long. It was composed in 1974 .

Like many composers before him, Rutter sets the Latin text of the Gloria from the liturgy to music . He is consciously placing himself in the overall Christian tradition.

occupation

Rutter wrote the Gloria for choir, large brass ensemble, organ and percussion ( timpani and other percussion instruments). The full brass section with 4 trumpets, 3 trombones and tuba is particularly distinctive. This line-up gives the Gloria an enormous fullness of sound that makes the glory (Latin: gloria ) audible. A piano is sometimes used instead of the organ during performances, especially in the second movement.

The three sentences

1 sentence

The first movement, allegro vivace , has a quick and agile tempo and is mostly forte . Brass section and choir alternate like in a dialogue.

2nd movement

The second movement, andante , is much quieter. It is determined by an ostinato-like basic rhythm of the organ. Apart from a climax at full volume roughly in the middle, the movement is kept piano throughout . After a longer introduction of the organ with its basic ostinato and a short choir entry, a calm, slow wind section without a choir takes up the essential part before the climax. After the climax with the full choir and instruments, a serene a cappella chorus ensemble follows , which continues until the end, where the choir is finally accompanied by the well-known organ stinato.

3rd movement

After the calm second movement, the third, vivace e ritmico , looks like a final firework. It surpasses the first movement in volume and speed. This becomes particularly clear towards the end of the movement, where in “Amen” almost all of the instruments and singers keep increasing at full volume and thus lead the work to its absolute musical climax, the return of the initial motif and initial text Gloria in excelsis Deo in one majestic, slower pace. This gives the three sentences a framework and connects them to a whole. In a final “Amen”, again at a fast tempo, and a coda of all instruments without the choir, the work ends with a sonority typical of John Rutter, as is also found in other of his works, e. B. in the Magnificat or in the Te Deum .