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Rock and Roll started with Beethoven
Rock and Roll started with Beethoven is a bold statement, but this brand new documentary by DW released last week makes a convincing case. All the short melodic riffs that Rock and Roll utilizes from the Kinks to Led Zeppelin are a result of Beethoven’s 4 note motif of his 5th Symphony that started it all. I highly recommend checking out this video. Even just the first 10 minutes of it! 🙂
It is AMAZING!!!
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11 Replies
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Jung,
share this with the twins & Rudy.
They should appreciate the topic & the german dialog.
Continuing happy holidays.
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Not to mention the segment in Vienna.
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Thomas, yes I agree I think MLT would find this video very interesting, I highly recommend it. 🙂 I think it’s part of MLT DNA too! 🙂  I’m just blown by this video and the linkage between Beethoven and every aspect of modern music from rock, every 60s legends, metal, jazz, Laurel Canyon, Sargent Peppers, Star Wars to Jaws and beyond. DW did a great documentary for Beethoven’s 250th anniversary in 2020.
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Hi all;
About the only thing I remember from college music classes is that Beethoven’s 5th Symphony marked a major change in music. The third movement of most symphonies were light and airy prior to the 5th symphony. With Beethoven’s 5th the 3rd movement was darker and brooding and it caught people by surprise.
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Hi Mike. Beethoven’s 5th Symphony is so iconic isn’t it. As a kid growing up, if anyone said symphony or classical music, the opening notes of the 5th would immediately ring in my head. I don’t think there is anyone on the planet who wouldn’t be familiar with those 4 opening notes (riff). I just didn’t realize until now the profound impact it had on modern pop/rock music.
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Hi Jung;
Yes, Beethoven was a trend setter and took a chance with the 3rd movement. Those who do things out of the ordinary are the ones who make advances in music, e.g., The Beatles, Buddy Holly, Elvis, and many others. I was taught in college that the four notes in the 5th Symphony is called the motif of the Symphony……which means it shows up often during the whole symphony and serves as the foundation. The same is true in RnR, Country Rock, and many of the other genres. Mike.
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Hi Jung,
when they played that dense piano piece late in the broadcast, (and a laye Beethoven composiiton),
i just knew a reference to Scott Joplin was coming.
I did not know about Jelly-Roll Morton or the big heavy guy in the 30s & 40s.
I forget his name,
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Thomas, that part of the documentary is so enlightening the way they articulated how Beethoven’s last (32nd) piano Sonata influenced jazz.  And also the discussion around metronome and how the requirement for precise tempo in music was introduced by Beethoven is fascinating. Prior to him, only musical markings for tempo were slow or fast which was very ambiguous. Beethoven also revolutionized Lieder, songs with poetic lyrics (Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell), as well as introduced the concept of “concept album” (Pet Sounds/Smile, Sargent Peppers, Tommy, Dark Side of the Moon….)
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Wow, Jung, I watched this entire documentary at your suggestion and was amazed at the content, production and excellent illustrations provided. Thank you so much for posting this and I hope that the entire Wagner clan will watch it because it is indeed in their genes.
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Just a non-musical footnote.
DW (Deutsche-Welle) does great documentary work in general.
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Hi Brian, I’m glad you got to watch the documentary and liked it. Being a big Beethoven fan all my life, this video really blew me away. It’s probably the best Beethoven doc I’ve ever seen.
Thomas, I’ve started watching DW a lot lately, and enjoy their world news programs a lot too. They bring a good objective perspective to the news here in North America I find.
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