Baroque pop

Baroque pop (sometimes called baroque rock) is a fusion genre that combines rock music with particular elements of classical music.[1][4][5] It emerged in the mid 1960s as artists pursued a majestic, orchestral sound[4] and is identifiable for its appropriation of Baroque compositional styles (contrapuntal melodies and functional harmony patterns) and dramatic or melancholic gestures.[3] Harpsichords figure prominently,[6] while oboes, French horns, and string quartets are also common.[5]

Quick facts: Baroque pop, Other names, Stylistic origins, ... ▼

Baroque pop
An electric harpsichord
Other names	Baroque rock chamber pop[1][2]
Stylistic origins	Rock[3][4] classical[3][4] pop[5] orchestral pop[3] Baroque[3]
Cultural origins	1960s, United Kingdom and United States
Derivative forms	Philadelphia soul[4] chamber pop[4]
Other topics
List of baroque pop artists art pop avant-pop progressive rock

Although harpsichords had been deployed for a number of pop hits since the 1940s, some record producers in the 1960s increasingly placed the instrument in the foreground of their arrangements.[6] Inspired partly by the Beatles' song "In My Life" (1965), various groups were incorporating baroque and classical instrumentation by early 1966.[7] The term "baroque rock" was coined in promotional material for the Left Banke, who used harpsichords and violins in their arrangements[8] and whose 1966 song "Walk Away Renée" exemplified the style.[6][9]

Baroque pop's mainstream popularity faded by the 1970s, partially because punk rock, disco and hard rock took over; nonetheless, music was still produced within the genre's tradition.[9] Philadelphia soul in the 1970s and chamber pop in the 1990s both reflected the spirit of baroque pop,[4] while the latter incorporated much of the period's low fidelity musical aesthetic.[10]