Influence Of European Art Music On Popular Muisc

I always hear statements like, "There wouldn't be rock n roll if it wasn't for Beethoven and the classical masters!" Are these statements valid? Did European art music affect the development of rock music?

Of course it is valid! If those great composers wouldn't break the rules of composition that existed at that time, the music wouldn't evolve and modern composers would still write like those in the 15th century.

I think that music is something that is evolving through time. And during this evolution, new and new "species" evolve (with this I mean new music styles)... And just as Beethoven was a rebel of his time who was breaking the rules of composition, so were the Sex Pistols, they were just breaking new rules of what is appropriate in music...

Thats not entirely true.

Its not just because Beethoven was "a rebel who broke rules".

Rock and roll grew out of folk music more than classical music. That isn't to say that there was no influence -- European art music "thinking" had an impact on early blues and jazz, for example. But rock and roll did not grow out of a couple "art music" composers sayin' "forget these violins, lets get some guitars, bro" [insert heavy metal horns hand here].

There is however, a strong cross polination of the two right now. You have "indie 'classical'" groups like BUILD, groups like The Books, and composers like Missy Mazzolli writing "rock 'n' roll in tuxedos" (as Mario Davidovsky put it).

Not to mention the impact and influence classical music has had on pop music -- Varese's impact on Zappa (or Joel Thome's reimagining of Zappa music with Zappa's Universe -- check it, Thome's a genious), Penderecki's influence on Radiohead (they claim to notate all of their music as they write songs). Or the impact Stockhausen had on The Beatles (or classical music in general, lets not forget that "All You Need is Love" has a bit o' Bach in there).

Classical music also gets sampled a bunch -- Prokofiev's "Montagues and Capulets" (a.k.a. "Dance of the Knights) from his Romeo and Juliet can be heard in tracks by Sia, Necrophagist, Hollenthon, Blood Axis (yup, apparently metal heads like their Prokofiev), etc., Jay-Z has sampled Morricone and Pavarotti, Ludacris, Cameron, and Evanescence all sample Mozart's Requiem.

Orff has been sampled by everyone and their mothers, as has Bach.

The list goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, etc.

My English is not as good as it should be, apparently... I wasn't talking just about Beethoven, he is just an example of what I mean. Of course music is a living thing that evolves with time and is a big part of development of one culture. But I still think that saying that classical music has nothin to do with rock or pop etc. music is wrong. Something that I think contributed to development of new music was the development of new instruments (like electric guitars) with a brand new sound. And of course talented musicians were looking for a new way to use them...

One thing that I can't get past when talking about musical history is this: in every culture (Egipt, Rome, Greece,...) music evolved. First it was a domain of priests and there were very strict rules about what music must be like. And with development of each culture music was becoming more and more diverse, more and more free... And at the end of each culture this was most apparent, music incorporated influences from other cultures and so on. And looking at our culture you can notice, that the music of our time is more diverse, more free of every rules (do you think that a recording of sounds from the street is music?) as it ever was. So it makes me thinking - is our culture slowly coming to an end? (and I don't mean that as the end of the world or sth like that) I know that is a philosophical question but anyway.

Thats not entirely true.

Its not just because Beethoven was "a rebel who broke rules".

Rock and roll grew out of folk music more than classical music. That isn't to say that there was no influence -- European art music "thinking" had an impact on early blues and jazz, for example. But rock and roll did not grow out of a couple "art music" composers sayin' "forget these violins, lets get some guitars, bro" [insert heavy metal horns hand here].

There is however, a strong cross polination of the two right now. You have "indie 'classical'" groups like BUILD, groups like The Books, and composers like Missy Mazzolli writing "rock 'n' roll in tuxedos" (as Mario Davidovsky put it).

Not to mention the impact and influence classical music has had on pop music -- Varese's impact on Zappa (or Joel Thome's reimagining of Zappa music with Zappa's Universe -- check it, Thome's a genious), Penderecki's influence on Radiohead (they claim to notate all of their music as they write songs). Or the impact Stockhausen had on The Beatles (or classical music in general, lets not forget that "All You Need is Love" has a bit o' Bach in there).

Classical music also gets sampled a bunch -- Prokofiev's "Montagues and Capulets" (a.k.a. "Dance of the Knights) from his Romeo and Juliet can be heard in tracks by Sia, Necrophagist, Hollenthon, Blood Axis (yup, apparently metal heads like their Prokofiev), etc., Jay-Z has sampled Morricone and Pavarotti, Ludacris, Cameron, and Evanescence all sample Mozart's Requiem.

Orff has been sampled by everyone and their mothers, as has Bach.

The list goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, etc.

You said that "European art music thinking had an affect on early blues an rock?" Would you care to elaborate on that?