This document discusses the origins and development of progressive rock music between the 1960s-1970s. It notes that progressive rock emerged from psychedelic rock in the late 1960s, drawing influence from classical music forms. Bands like Yes, Genesis, ELP, and Pink Floyd adopted multi-movement suites and other classical compositional techniques. Progressive rock sought to achieve both commercial popularity and artistic status on par with classical music. It became a major genre by the early 1970s, characterized by extended instrumental sections, eclectic styles, and multimedia live performances. However, progressive rock declined in popularity by the late 1970s.

1. Progressive
rock?
#med332
1

2. Rolling
Stones
magazine:
Greatest
album
of
all
=me
(2003)
2

3. I
remember
vividly
Sergeant
Pepper
coming
out—there
was
this
incredible
buzz
of
sheer
disbelief.
Wherever
you
went
people
would
be
playing
it.
Suddenly,
with
this
astonishing
music
anything
seemed
possible.
David
Jackson
(Van
der
Graaf
Generator)
3

4. [The]
‘progressive
rock
era’
can
be
delineated,
emerging
around
1967–
1969,
peaking
in
terms
of
commercial
and
aesthe=c
success
from
1972
to
1974,
and
disappearing
altogether
(or
at
least
returning
to
the
musical
underground)
between
1977
and
1980
-­‐-­‐
Anderton,
2010:
418
4

5. 5
The
Big
6:
Yes,
Genesis,
Emerson
Lake
and
Palmer
(ELP),
Jethro
Tull,
King
Crimson
and
Pink
Floyd

6. 6
Classical
composi=on:
mul=-­‐movement
suites

7. 7

8. 8

9. 9

10. 10

11. 1. Quote
a
classical
excerpt
in
the
midst
of
a
11
song
(simplis=c)
2. Use
a
classical
melody
as
the
basis
of
a
rock
song
(simplis=c,
no
stylis=c
blending)
3. Create
a
series
of
rock
songs
conceived
as
units
in
a
larger
form
(suites;
thema=c
unity
desirable)
4. Adopt
a
full
classical
work
to
a
rock-­‐style
performance
(classical
work
transformed
by
rock
instrumenta=on)
5. Create
a
work
for
rock
group
and
classical
ensemble
(rock
group
partners
with
orchestra;
blend
of
both
forms)
6. Using
the
musical
language
of
rock,
create
an
extended
work
modeled
ager
a
classical
form
(difficult
to
achieve;
thema=c
development
and
structure;
classical
music
in
the
language
of
rock)

12. 1. Quote
a
classical
excerpt
in
the
midst
of
a
12
song
(simplis=c)
2. Use
a
classical
melody
as
the
basis
of
a
rock
song
(simplis=c,
no
stylis=c
blending)
3. Create
a
series
of
rock
songs
conceived
as
units
in
a
larger
form
(suites;
thema=c
unity
desirable)
4. Adopt
a
full
classical
work
to
a
rock-­‐style
performance
(classical
work
transformed
by
rock
instrumenta=on)
5. Create
a
work
for
rock
group
and
classical
ensemble
(rock
group
partners
with
orchestra;
blend
of
both
forms)
6. Using
the
musical
language
of
rock,
create
an
extended
work
modeled
ager
a
classical
form
(difficult
to
achieve;
thema=c
development
and
structure;
classical
music
in
the
language
of
rock)

13. 1. Quote
a
classical
excerpt
in
the
midst
of
a
13
song
(simplis=c)
2. Use
a
classical
melody
as
the
basis
of
a
rock
song
(simplis=c,
no
stylis=c
blending)
3. Create
a
series
of
rock
songs
conceived
as
units
in
a
larger
form
(suites;
thema=c
unity
desirable)
4. Adopt
a
full
classical
work
to
a
rock-­‐style
performance
(classical
work
transformed
by
rock
instrumenta=on)
5. Create
a
work
for
rock
group
and
classical
ensemble
(rock
group
partners
with
orchestra;
blend
of
both
forms)
6. Using
the
musical
language
of
rock,
create
an
extended
work
modeled
ager
a
classical
form
(difficult
to
achieve;
thema=c
development
and
structure;
classical
music
in
the
language
of
rock)

14. 1. Quote
a
classical
excerpt
in
the
midst
of
a
14
song
(simplis=c)
2. Use
a
classical
melody
as
the
basis
of
a
rock
song
(simplis=c,
no
stylis=c
blending)
3. Create
a
series
of
rock
songs
conceived
as
units
in
a
larger
form
(suites;
thema=c
unity
desirable)
4. Adopt
a
full
classical
work
to
a
rock-­‐style
performance
(classical
work
transformed
by
rock
instrumenta=on)
5. Create
a
work
for
rock
group
and
classical
ensemble
(rock
group
partners
with
orchestra;
blend
of
both
forms)
6. Using
the
musical
language
of
rock,
create
an
extended
work
modeled
ager
a
classical
form
(difficult
to
achieve;
thema=c
development
and
structure;
classical
music
in
the
language
of
rock)

15. 1. Quote
a
classical
excerpt
in
the
midst
of
a
15
song
(simplis=c)
2. Use
a
classical
melody
as
the
basis
of
a
rock
song
(simplis=c,
no
stylis=c
blending)
3. Create
a
series
of
rock
songs
conceived
as
units
in
a
larger
form
(suites;
thema=c
unity
desirable)
4. Adopt
a
full
classical
work
to
a
rock-­‐style
performance
(classical
work
transformed
by
rock
instrumenta=on)
5. Create
a
work
for
rock
group
and
classical
ensemble
(rock
group
partners
with
orchestra;
blend
of
both
forms)
6. Using
the
musical
language
of
rock,
create
an
extended
work
modeled
ager
a
classical
form
(difficult
to
achieve;
thema=c
development
and
structure;
classical
music
in
the
language
of
rock)

16. 1. Quote
a
classical
excerpt
in
the
midst
of
a
16
song
(simplis=c)
2. Use
a
classical
melody
as
the
basis
of
a
rock
song
(simplis=c,
no
stylis=c
blending)
3. Create
a
series
of
rock
songs
conceived
as
units
in
a
larger
form
(suites;
thema=c
unity
desirable)
4. Adopt
a
full
classical
work
to
a
rock-­‐style
performance
(classical
work
transformed
by
rock
instrumenta=on)
5. Create
a
work
for
rock
group
and
classical
ensemble
(rock
group
partners
with
orchestra;
blend
of
both
forms)
6. Using
the
musical
language
of
rock,
create
an
extended
work
modeled
ager
a
classical
form
(difficult
to
achieve;
thema=c
development
and
structure;
classical
music
in
the
language
of
rock)

17. 17
‘lame
affecta=ons
of
a
cultured
sensibility’
[seeking]
‘to
dignify
their
work,
to
make
it
acceptable
for
upper-­‐class
approba=on’
-­‐-­‐Miller,
1980:
347-­‐8

18. ‘“ar=s=c”
modes
of
musical
expression
–
themes,
arrangements,
harmonies
and
forms
that
drew
on
classical
models,
specifically
those
of
the
Roman=c
composers
of
the
nineteenth
century
and
the
“na=onalist”
composers
such
as
Bartok,
Delius,
Copland
and
Dvorak.
-­‐-­‐
Aoon,
2001:
30
18

19. 19

20. 20

21. 21
1. arrangements
2. a
blending
of
acous=c,
electric
and
electronic
instruments
3. a
mix
of
sog
and
loud
musical
passages
4. extended
instrumental
sec=ons
and
solos
5. and
the
use
of
musical
styles
other
than
the
American
blues/rock
format
common
to
much
commercially
popular
music
in
Britain,
Europe
and
the
USA
in
the
mid-­‐1960s.
-­‐-­‐
Lucky,
1998:
120-­‐1

22. 22
‘a
tendency
to
conflate
“symphonic”
progressive
rock
with
progressive
rock
in
general’
‘symphonic
orthodoxy’
Ignores:
‘aleatoric
and
minimalist
music’,
‘riff-­‐based
space-­‐rock’
and
‘avante-­‐garde
and
jazz-­‐inflected’
styles
-­‐ Can
-­‐ Hawkwind
-­‐ Sog
Machine

23. 23

24. 24
Aoon
(2001:
31)
refers
to
3
dominant
elements
in
the
forma=on
and
development
of
progressive
rock
1. its
status
as
a
commercial,
popular
music
product
2. its
aim
to
achieve
‘art’
status
as
an
electrified
form
for
classical
music
3. the
countercultural
elements
from
which
it
was
born

25. 25
Progressive
rock
was
intended
to
be
both
popular
(‘meant
for
a
wide
audience’
and
long-­‐
las=ng
(of
‘more
permanent
value
than
the
six
weeks
in
the
chart
and
then
forget
it’)
-­‐-­‐Dawbarn,
Melody
Maker
1969.

26. 26
‘a
scale
and
grandeur
unparalleled
in
rock,
and
its
inner
complexi=es
[to]
rival
those
of
the
greatest
classical
composers’
-­‐-­‐
Williams,
Melody
Maker,
1970

27. 27
By
1971,
‘the
=me
was
ripe
for
the
development
of
progressive
rock’.
-­‐-­‐
Palmer
in
DeCur=s,
2001:
243

28. Psychedelic
origins
28
progressive
rock
heavy
metal
jazz-­‐rock
glam-­‐rock
southern
rock
post-­‐rock

29. Middle-­‐class
milieu
29
Bri=sh
inspired
by
American
music
experimental
conceptual

30. Mul=media
experience
• By
the
mid
1970s
shows
became
more
extravagant
• Huge
projec=on
screens
• Strange
costumes
• Light
shows
• Huge
tours
30

31. 31

32. 32

33. The
legacy
of
prog?
• Elements
of
symphonic
music
today?
• Concept
albums
today?
33

34. 34