Neorutter

Neorutter is a term increasingly used to describe late 20th and early 21st century Choral music which has a wide commercial and popular appeal. It is noted for its affectivity and sentimentality.
Genesis
The term directly references the work of english composer John Rutter, whose works, though well known and accessible, are seen by more professional choristers as technically facile. There is a certain tongue-in-cheek to the quips as Rutter's choral works, like the Gaelic Blessing, or The Lord Bless you and Keep you, are sound pieces from a compositional stand point. Despite the chagrin that many choristers have for such works (given their popularity at weddings), there is recognition that these works, as well as his numerous arrangements, have been largely successful for Rutter. They have made him a well recognized name within community choral settings. For this reason alone there is a certain elitist element at play in the views of Rutter's work, which has direct bearing on the coinage of the term Neorutter.
In addition to Rutter's works, the advent of emotive late 20th century choral music exemplified by long melodic lines with evocative homophonic structures aimed at representationalist aesthetics fleshes out the other components of Neorutterian choral music. While Rutter's compositional style is no longer followed by populist choral composers, the success of minimalist composers like Arvo Part, Henryk Gorecki and neo-orthodox minimalism seen in the works of John Tavener, have lead to an exploration of emotive and evocative choral compositional forms. These, in many ways, have taken up Rutter's mantle and place in popular choral settings. Like Rutter's works, they are compositionally sound and accessible. In contrast their aesthetic and musical worth is often an object of contestation among trained and professional singers.
Form
For a piece to be considered a work of Neorutter, certain basic criteria have to be met:
# Compositionally it must be sound, yet not too adventurous. Simple core melodic lines with basic modulations and homophony, with perhaps some basic counterpoint are hallmarks.
# It must be technically suited to a wide range of choral settings, but somewhat challenging for untrained, yet musically literate choristers.
# In order to be considered 'neo', there is often the a wide use of dominant chords containing second intervals.
# Evocative of tonal spatialities
# Structurally repetitive, possible use of faux-chant
Sentimentality
An important element of Neorutterian music is its emotionality. Not only are highly emotive (yet simplistic) texts employed by composers, in literary terms they are often not well-known works or verge on affected. Compositionally the works follow the internal dramatic and emotive logic of their texts - word painting is a frequent technique, especially words such as 'love', 'spirit', 'amazing'. 'Light' frequently sees the use of cluster chords, evocatively suggesting the clash of colours as a clash of tones. Often the Latin texts employed are simplistic, lending the piece, perhaps in the eyes of its populist audience, a certain 'faux-elitist' cache.
Compositional and Emotive Narrative
Frequently composers of such works seek to explore the compositional process itself as a emotive journey. Neorutterian works are often accompanied by emotive narratives - as a preface or elsewhere - that characterize the discovery of the text, its spiritual importance to the composer, and subsequent exploration through composition as a sentimental exercise. Coupled with the music itself, this narrative aims to deepen the performer's appreciation of the work. Nevertheless, it could easily be seen as part of a composer's own marketing and branding strategy.
Neorutterian Composers
* Eric Whitacre
* Morten Lauridsen
* Jonathan Dove
* Joby Talbot

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu