Be thou my vision: The Cambridge Singers Hymn Series

for SATB and harp or piano
In this arrangement of the traditional Irish hymn Be thou my vision, Rutter sets the 8th-century text (in its English translation) to the Irish folk melody known as Slane, the tune to which it has been sung since 1919. Rutter's harmonies and piano/harp accompaniment add to the enchanting Gaelic style. An alternative setting of the same text, to original music by John Rutter, is also available from Oxford University Press.

John Rutter was born in London in 1945 and studied music at Clare College, Cambridge. His compositions embrace choral, orchestral, and instrumental music, and he has edited or co-edited various choral anthologies, including four Carols for Choirs volumes with Sir David Willcocks and the Oxford Choral Classics series. From 1975 to 1979 he was Director of Music at Clare College, and in 1981 he formed his own choir, the Cambridge Singers. He now divides his time between composition and conducting and is sought after as a guest conductor for the world's leading choirs and orchestras. John Rutter's music has been widely recorded and is available on many record labels including Universal, Naxos, and Hyperion. The Cambridge Singers have recorded many of John Rutter's works on the Collegium Records label.