Philip Glass:
'Low' and 'Heroes' symphonies, inspired by Bowie
Songs from liquid days, inspired by D Byrne, L Anderson et al

 

""borrowed heavily"
can you please elaborate and clarify?
take Ennio Morricone
- Morricone doesn't qualify as a contemporary classical music composer
- you mention a fistful of dollars, composed around 1962: from what kind of rock was he borrowing?

 

Good questions.

There will be edge cases for who counts as a "contemporary classical music composer" and what counts as "borrowing from rock music" sufficiently.

Morricone is especially hard to pin down. He was primarily a film score composer, though before that he was trained as a contemporary classical composer at a conservatory under Petrassi, and also wrote pop songs and played (maybe also composed?) jazz pieces. According to Wikipedia, Morricone composed "from the period between 1954 and 1959: Musica per archi e pianoforte (1954), Invenzione, Canone e Ricercare per piano; Sestetto per flauto, oboe, fagotto, violino, viola e violoncello (1955), Dodici Variazione per oboe, violoncello e piano; Trio per clarinetto, corno e violoncello; Variazione su un tema di Frescobaldi (1956); Quattro pezzi per chitarra (1957); Distanze per violino, violoncello e piano; Musica per undici violini, Tre Studi per flauto, clarinetto e fagotto (1958); and the Concerto per orchestra (1957)…" If someone was classically trained in composition at a conservatory, under a leading contemporary classical composer of the day like Petrassi, and then goes on to compose many pieces that are unambiguously "contemporary classical," and then later also composes for film and in other genres, I intuitively think of them as "originally" a contemporary classical composer who then became eclectic.

As for "Fistful of Dollars Titles", that piece borrows from a variety of styles, but one of those styles is surf rock, and another is arguably folk rock.

 

This may not qualify, but the idea seemed so out there that I had to mention it.

It says in one of my reference books that Michael Tippett incorporated some rap music into his final opera, New Year - and he was in his 80s when he wrote it. A concert suite taken from the opera has been recorded but I don't know whether the rap music - or whatever Tippett's interpretation of it happens to be - is included.

 

Tippett was an eclectic borrower. There are some jazz riffs in "The Knot Garden" and the Third Symphony, some spirituels in "A Child of Our Time," and odd things all over the place in "New Year." The quoting of styles served a different purpose than just "influence," though.

 

 

I swear I hear the theme from Iron Butterfly's "In a Gadda da Vida" in the first movement (Moderately Fast) of Paul Hindemith's Symphonia serena! I mean, those Butterfly guys produced an, at least, "moderately fast" rock anthem with the "Gadda da Vida", which, if the title has something to do with the Garden of Eden is certainly a kind of "serene" place. And that famous percussion interlude! It's there in the Hindemith movement, too! You'd think Hindemith would be a bit more subtle with his borrowings. Alas ....

Now, if I can only figure out how the German composer did all this in 1946, I'll have the riddle solved. Maybe Hindemith had a time machine!

 

I swear I hear the theme from Iron Butterfly's "In a Gadda da Vida" in the first movement (Moderately Fast) of Paul Hindemith's Symphonia serena! …

I hear it, starting around 4:48 in this recording [Spotify track here].

 

^
^

I'll have to play the Hindemith to satisfy my curiosity - an Iron Butterfly connection has certainly never occurred to me before. Thank God the Symphonia Serena was an orchestral work - I dread to think what kind of detrimental effect Doug Ingle-style foghorn vocals would have had on it.

 

Some parts of Bernstein's Mass (1971) are heavily rock-influenced, e.g. the "Confession" parts and "I Believe in God."

 

It reminds me in places of the musical Godspell, which was composed by Stephen Schwartz the year before. The libretto for Mass was partly written by Schwartz as well, so I wonder if this collaboration with Bernstein perhaps had an influence on how some of the latter's 'rock gospel' music sounded?

 

I guess there are also various art songs by contemporary classical composers that are pretty straightforwardly rock music, e.g. some tracks from Penelope by Sarah Kirkland Snider. I list a few other examples here.

 

William Bolcom's mammoth Songs of Innocence and Experience. Certain songs are done in a particular 'non-classical' style - rock, reggae, country and soul-gospel.

 

Thanks! I gave it a listen. Example rock-style track: "London."

 

Moritz Eggert has been influenced by a huge variety of styles that he incorporates into his music. Without a doubt rock is one of them.

 

Thanks! Any particular pieces come to mind?

 

Found a few more:
- Stevan-Kovacs Tickmayer (various pieces)
- David Bedford (various pieces)
- Tod Machover (various pieces)

 

Another composer who was directly influenced by rock is Tolga Kashif (Queen Symphony and Genesis Suite, based on songs by these two bands).

 

Peter Michael Hamel is another, I've just remembered.

 

Also Henry Flynt.

 

George Rochberg: Electrikaleiodoscope (1972) - the second movement is a "boogaloo". He might have quoted rock passages in his other works, but I don't know his entire rep very well. This recording, though, I have owned for decades.

 

Perfect, thanks! Found it on YouTube here, and on Spotify here.

 

I like Mikel Rouse's works for Broken Consort, an ensemble of sax, keyboard, bass and percussions. The rhythm is strong, hypnotic and complex. I have not heard his operas yet.

"Rouse's music represents the application of classical structures and strategies to rock materials." (Gann)

Quick Thrust (12-tone piece on heavy beats)
https://mikelrouse.bandcamp.com/track/quick-thrust

Jade Tiger
https://mikelrouse.bandcamp.com/album/jade-tiger

Full Flow

 

Perfect, thanks!

 

Albert Schnelzer is worth mentioning. His cello concerto 'Crazy Diamond' has been inspired by Pink Floyd.

 

I do not believe straight ahead orchestrations of rock pieces count - I will exempt Glass' Low and Heroes symphonies as they are based on themes from those songs, not just an orchestration...

Surprised nobody has mentioned Glenn Branca

v

 

I recently asked this thread's question of Thanh-Tâm Lê and he sent this helpful reply (and gave me permission to post it here):

One famous example would be Imants Kalniņš (Imants Kalnins) whose Symphony No. 4 "Rock Symphony" is enormously popular in Latvia. Erkki-Sven Tüür started as a rock musician but is now recognised as one of Estonia's most prominent classical composers; his symphonies (e.g. No. 5) and other works do show some inspirations from rock music, as also do his countrymen Raimo Kangro and Rein Rannap. Rytis Mažulis from Lithuania also comes close to rock music in part of his work. Krzysztof Knittel's "Heart Piece - Double Opera" is said to make use of rock music. The third movement of Symphony No. 4 by Tomás Marco (one of Spain's most respected symphonists) is entitled "Almost a Rock". In Sweden, Jesper Nordin and Fredrik Högberg in particular integrate elements from rock music, as do Frederik Magle and Wayne Siegel in Denmark. There are quite a few more, I'll send you further references as they come back.

 

Kyle Gann names several more here.

 

I've elicited some additional suggestions in the Facebook group "Classical Music Discussion for the Pretentiously Inclined" here.

 

Also a few pieces by Matthew Hindson, e.g. "Speed" and "Rush" and "Headbanger."

 

Finally listened to some Russell Peck and Marc Mellits. Both have some clearly rock-influenced pieces, e.g. on Mellits' Paranoid Cheese album.

 

Various sections of Paul Dresher's "American Trilogy" of operas are heavily rock-influenced. He has several other pieces that are rock-influenced as well.

 

Finally got around to listening to some Moritz Eggert. There are some rock influences in e.g. Wide Unclasp and Riff and Muzak.