John Rutter endeavored over many Christmases to reinvigorate the genre of the Christmas carol, not necessarily by replacing traditional images and tunes with new creations, but by retranslating them in his own creative manner. His 1979 setting of an original composition, Mary's Lullaby, restates the images of manger, angels, shepherds, and wise men. This arrangement for combined Concert Band and Chorus brings this music to a new and wider audience. The beauty of the music itself can be experienced without words or chorus with the option of performing this by Concert Band alone.
