Thread: Classical influences in popular music

Have any progressive rock or similar kind of bands used the sonata form in their music? Anyone know any examples?

Originally Posted by Dim7

Have any progressive rock or similar kind of bands used the sonata form in their music? Anyone know any examples?

I can't remember if they actually used sonata from but British prog rock band Egg used classical forms and were very classically influenced, just a look at the titles of some of their tunes gives this away. Wind Quartet 1, Symphony No 2, Long Piece No 3 and Fugue in D Minor. The latter being a take on the famoue Bach piece.

Also, check out Giles, Giles and Fripp especially Suite No 1. They are quite eclectic but there is definetely a classical influence there.

Originally Posted by Dim7

Have any progressive rock or similar kind of bands used the sonata form in their music? Anyone know any examples?

Weezer's song "Dreamin'" is written in sonata form, although I don't suppose they're "progressive rock or similar".

I said "progressive rock or something similar" basically because I thought if "popular" (=non-classical) music band use sonata form they are almost automatically progressive rock or something like that. I'm just looking for sonata form in non-classical music, so thanks for the example.

I think of all those remixes on youtube - from mozarts requiem to beethoven's 40.


Lots of "singers" got on the radio by just chanting to a remix of classical music -

Swan Lake or Prince Igor come to my mind.

Hey, someone was dissing Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Yeah, it's cheesy, but they lace their music with classical snippets and make it accessible to the masses. I went to a concert around Xmas time...the first half was their Xmas music, but their second half was literally taking classic rock songs and lacing them with music. There was one point where I heard the exposition to the first movement of the Pathetique Sonata and I was about to scream and turned around and started telling people...sadly then realizing no one knew what I was talking about.

The turned the Queen of the Night Aria into heavy metal.

I'm sure there were more snippets I missed or don't remember, but it was really cool...cheesy or not.

There seems to be a lot of opinions on this thread and it's subject. I will offer this: It seems to me that when hollywood wants to make a band sound good and trully musical, they always through an orchastra behind them!