King Crimson and Classical Music

Of course there's a connection. I'm guessing you've heard "Prelude: The Song of the Gulls"?

As a classical musician myself, I greatly appreciate both forms of music.

Winterfamily wrote: And what about Steve Reich? Fripp's guitar sequences in the "Lark's Tongues..." and "Starless..." albums sound a lot like Reich's work in pieces like "Six Marimbas" or "Sextet". The only difference between them is that Robert F. used guitars and Reich wrote his work to be performed using mallets, but their use of repetitive patterns and second harmonies is almost the same. Moribund: nice association. I love Bartok and KC, too.

Yes certainly. And the similarity is even closer if you check out Fracture, then The League of Gentlemen and especially Discipline.

Maybe you have a point there. I love King crimson. I love Bach and do'nt realy care much about later classics until the end of the 19th century. Then some composers (mostly stravinsky that I feel is one of the most influencing composers on the whole prog genre) excite me to tears.

Actually in Kundera's book "betrayed inheritances" there's a very interesting explanation of why one can love barock and modern music and dislike the so called "classic" music in much better way than I can do.

I wouldnt agree Moonchild jam owes anything to Stockhausen - his pieces are concptually tight and often very rigorously planned and formulated, even if often including improvisational or aleatoric elements. (Big plug for Stockhausen here - g check out!) Moonchild owes far more to free-form jazz or psychadelic freak-outs. To my ear, all prog owes a great deal to classical music: more often from earler centuries, especially the music of Bach or Mozart. I would say Bartok is the clearest influence on Crimson' work (conscious or not) with its use of the tritone and it's heavy reliance on rhythm as a driving force. Bartok (and to a lesser degree) owe a lot to rock's rhythmic development in a similar way that Debussy & Ravel influenced the harmonic development of jazz

Moogtron III wrote: BiGi wrote: Moogtron III wrote: Bartok, Janacek, Ginastera, Copland, that's what I liked about ELP. Ginastera...AAARRRGGGHHH!!! Never heard something more disturbing than his Toccata...or maybe it's Emerson's interpretation??? (mmm...read about Ginastera praising Emerson for the right mood in which he set his composition...) Well, I love Emerson's interpretation.

I believe this kind of music (along with The Three Fates and the like) is too "out there" for me...

Well, I am very fond of 20th century classical music, but KC as well as other Fripp works leave me rather indifferent.

Moogtron III wrote: Bartok, Janacek, Ginastera, Copland, that's what I liked about ELP.

Ginastera...AAARRRGGGHHH!!!
Never heard something more disturbing than his Toccata...or maybe it's Emerson's interpretation???

(mmm...read about Ginastera praising Emerson for the right mood in which he set his composition...)

I do like both, although I see a stronger link between ELP and 20th century schizoid... excuse me... classical music.

Bartok, Janacek, Ginastera, Copland, that's what I liked about ELP.

About KC: I never noticed. It's interesting to hear other people speak about the relationshap between KC and Stockhausen and other composers. Keep talking, everybody. This is all very interesting!

Fripp studied from one of the classic books on 20th century harmony (forgot which one it is). You can sometimes hear these influences in his music, he stole Gustav Holst's planets on "The Devil's Triangle" and I think Debussy (?) on Thrak? Also, you find what could be categorized as musique concrete on the Three of a Perfect pair and others. 

Heir to Ruin: Think of it as a line of a certain type of music, for example the barroque period was like our 60´s type of music, the elements where there but needed a big oomph! so the next period was the classical period like our 70´s music when everything was in place and the music were the most beautiful ever written. Then the romantic and then the post romantic right in the 20th century. So I am in love with the music written the last century in this type of music.