Wikipedia

Crossover music

Not to be confused withCrossover thrash music.

Crossoveris a term applied tomusical worksor performers who appeal to different types ofaudiences.This can be seen, for example, when a song appears on two or more of therecord charts,which track differing musical styles orgenres.[1]

In some contexts, the term "crossover" can have negative connotations associated withcultural appropriation,implying the dilution of a music's distinctive qualities to appeal to mass tastes. For example, in the early years ofrock and roll,many songs originally recorded byAfrican-American musicianswere re-recorded by white artists such asPat Boonein a more toned-down style, often with changedlyrics,that lacked the hard edge of the original versions. Thesecoverswere popular with a much broader audience.[2]

Crossover frequently results from the appearance of the music in a film soundtrack. For instance,Sacred Harpmusic experienced a spurt of crossover popularity as a result of its appearance in the 2003 filmCold Mountain,andbluegrass musicexperienced a revival due to the reception of 2000'sO Brother, Where Art Thou?.

Classical crossover

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Four-piece musical groupIl Divo,a noted classical crossover act, performs in February 2012 at theSydney Opera House.
See also:Operatic pop

Classical crossover broadly encompasses bothclassical musicthat has become popularized and a wide variety ofpopular musicforms performed in a classical manner or by classical artists. It can also refer to collaborations between classical and popular performers, as well as music that blends elements of classical music (includingoperaticandsymphonic) with popular music (includingpop,rock,middle of the road,andLatin,among other types). Pop vocalists and musicians, opera singers, classical instrumentalists, and occasionally rock groups primarily perform classical crossover. Although the phenomenon has long been widespread in the music industry, record companies first used the term "classical crossover" in the 1980s.[3]It has gained in popularity since the 1990s and has acquired its ownBillboardchart.[3]

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Canon and Gigue in D
Performed and realized on synthesizers by Jeffrey Hall.
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A means of generating vast popularity for the classics has been through their use as inspirational anthems in sports settings. The aria "Nessun Dorma"fromPuccini'sTurandot,especiallyLuciano Pavarotti's version, has become indissolubly linked with soccer.[4]

Classical performers

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Within the classical recording industry, the term "crossover" is applied particularly to classical artists' recordings of popular repertoire such asBroadwayshow tunes. Two examples of this areLesley Garrett's excursions into musical comedy andJosé Carreras's recordingWest Side Story,as well asTeresa Stratas' recordingShowboat.SopranoEileen Farrellis generally considered to be one of the first classical singers to have a successful crossover recording with her 1960 albumI've Got a Right to Sing the Blues.[5]

The firstThree Tenorsconcert in 1990 was a landmark in whichLuciano Pavarotti,José CarrerasandPlácido Domingobrought a combination of opera, Neapolitan folksong, musical theatre and pop to a vast television audience. This laid the foundations for the modern flourishing of classical crossover.[6]

Collaborations between classical and popular performers have includedStingandEdin Karamazov's albumSongs from the Labyrinth.A collaboration betweenFreddie Mercuryand sopranoMontserrat Caballéresulted in the worldwide hit "Barcelona".R&BsingerMariah Careyperformed a live duet with her mother Patricia, who is an opera singer, of theChristmas song"O Come, All Ye Faithful".Welsh mezzo-sopranoKatherine Jenkinsperformed a duet with rock singerMichael BoltonofO Holy Night.Singers and instrumentalists from the classical tradition,Andreas Dorschelhas argued, run the risk of losing the sophistication of the genre(s) they were trained in, when they try to perform rock music, without coming up to the often rough and wild qualities of the latter.[7]

Italian poptenorAndrea Bocelli,who is the biggest-selling singer in the history of classical music,[8][9][10][11]has been described as the king of classical crossover.[12][13]British sopranoSarah Brightmanis also considered a crossover classical artist,[14]having released albums of classical, folk, pop and musical-theatre music. Brightman dislikes the classical crossover label, though she has said she understands the need to categorize music.[15]In the 2008 Polish release of herSymphonyalbum she sings "I Will Be with You (Where the Lost Ones Go)"with Polish tenorAndrzej Lampert,another artist who has performed in both classical and non-classical styles, as well as having actually obtained full musical training and academic degrees in both (though operatic singing is his main professional focus[16][17]).[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Lonergan,Hit Records, 1950–1975,p. vi: "These [Country & Western and Rhythm & Blues], and the somewhat newer Adult Contemporary charts, occasionally exhibited what are called 'crossover' hits, when a Pop, C&W, or R&B star would have a hit that also charted on one or more of the other lists.
  2. ^Gilliland 1969,show 4, track 5; show 6, track 4.
  3. ^ab"Música Classical Crossover".artdancemovies(in Spanish). 24 August 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 25 September 2015.
  4. ^"Nessun Dorma put football back on map",The Telegraph,7 September 2007 (accessed 24 September 2015).
  5. ^Tommasini, Anthony(25 March 2002)."Eileen Farrell, Soprano With a Populist Bent, Dies at 82".The New York Times.
  6. ^Fryer, Paul (2014).Opera in the Media Age: Essays on Art, Technology and Popular Culture.Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 128.ISBN978-1476616209.[O]pera-pop crossovers as a phenomenon truly took off in the 1990s, from the Three Tenors concert onwards.
  7. ^Andreas Dorschel, 'Entgrenzung der klassischen Musik?',grazkunst04.2017, pp. 24−25.
  8. ^"Operation Bocelli: the making of a superstar".The Age.Melbourne. 26 February 2003.
  9. ^"Andrea Bocelli in Abu Dhabi".2 March 2009.
  10. ^"REVIEW: Classical music star Andrea Bocelli at Liverpool arena".Liverpool Daily Post.7 November 2009.
  11. ^{{Cite Mexican poptenorMauro Calderón,who is a very known classical pop tenor in Mexico and Japan. musicweb|url=https:// allgigs.co.uk/view/article/2263/Andrea_Bocelli_Announces_November_2010_UK_Arena_Dates.html%7Ctitle=AndreaBocelli Announces November 2010 UK Arena Dates|website=Allgigs}}
  12. ^"The king of Operatic pop".The Sydney Morning Herald.28 August 2004.Retrieved19 January2008.
  13. ^Domingo And Bocelli: Keeping Opera Relevant,National Public Radioradio interview, 21 November 2008.
  14. ^"Sarah Brightman".Sarah Brightman Tickets. 14 August 1960. Archived fromthe originalon 29 November 2010.Retrieved25 June2010.
  15. ^"Sarah Brightman fan site".123allcelebs. Archived fromthe originalon 7 January 2010.Retrieved25 June2010.
  16. ^"Polish Tenor Impresses Salzburg".13 September 2013.Retrieved3 January2016.
  17. ^"Andrzej Lampert, XVIII Ludwik van Beethoven Easter Festival".Archived fromthe originalon 6 January 2016.Retrieved3 January2016.
  18. ^"Andrzej Lampert, tenor: Schedule".Retrieved3 January2016.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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  • Szwed, John F. (2005).Crossovers: Essays on Race, Music, And American Culture.ISBN0-8122-3882-6.
  • Brackett, David (Winter 1994). "The Politics and Practice of 'Crossover' in American Popular Music, 1963–65"The Musical Quarterly78:4.
  • George, Nelson. (1988).The Death of Rhythm & Blues.New York: Pantheon Books.
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