25 classical pieces with surprising Beatles connections

[HuckleB]

http://music.cbc.ca/#!/blogs/2016/1/25-classical-pieces-with-surprising-Beatles-connections

"You've probably heard by now that the Beatles' full discography is finally available on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. You may also be aware — because Beatles trivia is basically oxygen — that the Fab Four were nearly as fond of classical music as they were of skiffle and rockabilly. But, when you dive into the specifics of the Beatles' intersections with classical music, there are some actual surprises to be had.

So, if you're planning on a Beatles binge in the near future, by way of streaming or otherwise, here's a bit of suggested additional listening. We'll start with a few classical works that are directly quoted or used in Beatles tracks. Then, we'll move on to some slightly less direct inspirations, including some wildly speculative connections on my part — because wild speculation is just part of being a Beatles fan. Then, after a bit of miscellany, we'll sample a tiny selection of the works where the influence went in the other direction: where the composer used the Beatles' music as a starting point.

N.B. There are no specific references to or quotes of classical pieces in “Roll Over Beethoven.” Because of course there aren’t. That would defeat the whole purpose of the song. I’m looking at you, Electric Light Orchestra.

Ready? One, two, three, FAH!

..."


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Inspired by the mild debate of the Beatles on that other thread, or something like that. Well, I found this piece to be fun.

[lunamagica]

1. K&R. Thank you for this post!

[HuckleB]

3. Thanks.

[KamaAina]

2. The first one that came to my mind was Eleanor Rigby.

When the Beatles recorded "Eleanor Rigby," they'd already made history by using a string quartet to back up Paul McCartney on "Yesterday." But the "Rigby" arrangement is vastly different: chilly, dry, impassive. Those aren't necessarily words you'd use to describe Vivaldi's Four Seasons (except perhaps Winter), but apparently McCartney had been listening to this when he suggested that George Martin should write up a string arrangement for this song.

[HuckleB]

4. Yup. Good stuff!

[cemaphonic]

5. Pet peeve - Let it Be doesn't use the Pachelbel's Canon chord progression

They're sort of similar, but the Canon in D progression is longer, and with more chord variety.

Also, this list is missing "L'homme armee," which is admittedly a bit obscure if you're not into Medieval/Renaissance choral music, but has a melody that is very similar to "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."