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Show And vice-versa Classical influence in rock by DON GRAVES Chronicle Staff First of all, let's get one thing straight, "longhair" is no longer a SrUe against classical musia If hat isn't obvious, I suggest you stop reading this and turn to the want ads or something. For a number of years I was as anti-rock as some of my friends were anti-classical. I think my hatred started when I the Beatles in their first "Ed Sullivan show performance. Seeing four guys trying to make music with electric guitars and a trap set by screaming their heads off turned me away from rock for ten years. Collection astounds Now my rock friends are astounded to see that my record collection has albums by B S & T, the Mothers of Invention, Yes and Jefferson Airplane. What happened? hap-pened? I finally realized that rock music had to be taken on its own merit without trying to compare it to Beethoven's "Fifth" (which is pretty hard to do anyway), and that rock offered me sounds and pleasures that no other form of music provided. But while I became involved with rock, many of my friends still couldn't stand classical music. "It's not relevant, all those guys are who think that -wfr people are like the little J ' who go to symphony : hear GREAT Mug' GREAT MUSIC, ffft 100 years old, preferably' groups cloister themseJJ 1 their narrow framework?' d's'ikes, structured f strange code into foil. 1 only when one o,' J;, p ayed. They are V religionists who keep j narrow breed of mo condemning eve 0thei, moral code whether j, familiar with it or not. C generation that prides i tolerance and understand It appears that a synthesis is taking $ of old and new and perhaps a news: form will arise from this process dead (not true, I imagine that the University's composer-in-residence, Ralph Cortes, would be surprised to learn of his demise); it doesn't say anything about Vietnam, the poverty war, George McGovern or the MilitaryIndustrial Establishment." To refute these arguments, one-might one-might look to rock performers themselves. Try to tell Emerson, Lake and Palmer that classical music isn't relevant. They made an entire album out of a piano work, "Pictures at an Exhibition," written by Moussorgsky in 1874. In "Triology" they perform Aaron Copland's "Hoe-down" (Copland was on the University campus several years ago to conduct one of the contemporary music concerts), the Beatles were influenced by Renaissance sounds 500 years old, B S & T used a theme by Erick Satie that he wrote over 80 years ago. The examples go on and on. The point to remember is that rock is not "virgin pure;" it has assimilated music from many areas, some being folk, jazz, country, as well as classical (just as all of these have borrowed from rock in the last few years). Today it is often difficult dif-ficult to say where one type begins and another begins, as in Bernstein's Bern-stein's "Mass," Frank Zappa's "200 Motels," or Dave Brubeck's "Light in the Wilderness." It appears ap-pears that a synthesis is taking place of old and new, and perhaps a new art form will rise from this process. I an objectionable stand To complain that classic- is not relevant is ie , Shakespeare to task form, J a sonnet against pollutio- y work must be taken or; e terms, not by compare w works with today's ideas, b. Applicable to any per: v( Seen in this light, it it 51 clear that composer, a Beethoven and Bach, in-; being concerned about put- 'jj their own times, wot : ' , problems and joys applicai:: period, as Beethoven's ste the individual against tyrr j Haydn's simple happiness- I This is why classical music; give people an errafc perience equal to what p& when these works m -performed (and also t -tragedies are still meanirc " j So this is why I feelsorrr 7, those little old ladies ;: 2 addicts, because both grc: m themselves away fan ; j wealth of music of all type 1M think anyone can $ j; "Classical music is the if ra "Rock music isthebest." J a waste to go through iff J experiencing as much as imj And it seems to me at fear JJ person who is able to f?' hoi Collins, the Rolling Sw Minnelli, and a Brahms' will be trying to enjoy )i j? life as he possibly can. N 35' |