Did The Beatles get inspired by J.S. Bach?
The English rock band The Beatles, formed in Liverpool in 1960, is widely considered the most influential band of all time. Led by songwriters Lennon and McCartney, the band was part of 1960s counterculture and inspired an international fan frenzy called “Beatlemania.” They stormed the United States pop market in what was dubbed the “British Invasion” and enjoyed huge commercial success.
The Beatles essentially wrote simple songs emerging from folklore roots. Although primarily rooted in contemporary rock ’n roll, they absorbed different influences and styles, “having been inspired by everything, from Negro blues to Magyar dances.”
And as a scholar writes, “they borrowed here and there with unabashed enthusiasm and made it all their own.” And while they considered “Beethoven a con, just like we are now,” Paul McCartney once said “Bach was always one of our favorite composers.”
Paul and John sang in the church choirs of St. Peter and St. Barnabas in Liverpool, but none of the Beatles could read music. They certainly had no training in classical music and/or on an instrument. That particular aspect was introduced and fostered by their mentor and producer George Martin (1926-2016), a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music. Martin had studied composition, conducting and orchestration, music theory, harmony and counterpoint, and he usually arranged the songs of the band.
Martin strongly denied that he was the real creative genius behind the Beatles. On the contrary, he insisted, “I worked only to their original designs and to their specific requests, even to details of arrangements which they sang to me and which I often transcribed on the spot in the studio.” George Martin was recurrently called the “Fifth Beatle,” and classical influences in the band’s music should essentially be credited to him.
Prior to working with The Beatles, Martin had worked at Parlophone, a branch of EMI, as a producer of classical and baroque records. Tellingly, he always called “classical music his first love.” Martin himself dabbled in composition, and he orchestrated a number of Bach works in the manner of Leopold Stokowski. In addition, he worked traces of Bach into several Beatles songs, and that included the megahit “Yesterday.”
Paul McCartney wrote the melody and chord progression, but it was Martin’s idea to accompany the song with a string quartet. Sir Paul remembers, “that on that session, George explained to me how Bach would have voiced it in a choral voicing or a quartet voicing. And he’d say, ‘This would be the way Bach would do it’.”
Paul also remembered “the original inspiration for “Blackbird” was from a well-known piece by Bach, which I never know the title of, which George and I had learned to play at an early age…we felt that we had a lot in common with Bach. For some reason, we thought his music was very similar to ours.” That particular famous Bach tune, transformed and transposed in “Blackbird,” turns out to be the “Bourrée” from the Lute Suite in E minor, BWV 996.
The Beatles: “Blackbird” (Studio Version 1968)
After Paul McCartney listened to Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 on a television program, he had the idea of incorporating the high trumpet sound into one of his songs. “Penny Lane” is a nostalgic celebration of his childhood in Liverpool, and the second part of the song features a tune played by the piccolo trumpet.
The song “All you Need is Love” sports a coda by George Martin. The band gave Martin permission to write whatever he wanted, telling him “Put together any tunes you fancy, and just play it out like that.” As such, Martin mingled together the melodies of “Greensleeves,” “In the Mood,” and Bach’s 2-part Invention No. 8 in F Major. A scholar writes, “despite the role of a favorite composer that Bach allegedly played for The Beatles, there are only a few concrete traces in their work, and most of them lead directly or indirectly back to the “Fifth Beatle” George Martin.
Download all the Beatles’ song from our Library.
Bach meets the Beatles – Variations in the style of Bach – “All you need is love” John Bayless, piano
Read the full article here on Interlude.hk
Browse in the Library:
Artist or Composer / Score name | Cover | List of Contents |
---|---|---|
Will B. Morrison – Melody in F (Syncopated Waltz) sheet music | ||
Will Young – Anything Is Possible | ||
William Best I Love You For Sentimental Reasons (Jazz Standard) | William Best I Love You For Sentimental Reasons (Jazz Standard) | |
William Eveleth – Blues Jazz and Rock Riffs For Keyboards | ||
William Gillock In Old Vienna Musescore File.mscz | ||
William Gillock Valse Etude In Romantic Style Musescore File.mscz | ||
William Joseph – Within (Songbook) (William Joseph) | William Joseph – Within (Songbook) (William Joseph) | |
William Robinson – My Girl | ||
William Russo Composing Music A New Approach (ebook) | ||
Willie Dixon Preacher Of The Blues (2011) Mitsutoshi Inaba (Book) Biography | ||
Willie Fugal S Blues Piano transcription | ||
Willie Nelson – Always on My Mind Sheet Music | ||
Willie Nelson – On My Mind | ||
Willie The Lion Smith – Finger Buster transcription | ||
Willie The Lion Smith Echo of Spring transcription | ||
Willow Weep For Me Words And Music By Ann Ronell 1932 Jazz Standard (Vintage sheet music) | ||
Wim Mertens – American Minimal Music La Monte Young Terry Riley Steve Reich Philip Glass | Book La Monte Young Terry Riley Steve Reich Philip Glass | |
Wim Mertens – Close Cover | Wim Mertens – Close Cover | |
Wim Mertens – Struggle For Pleasure | Wim Mertens – Struggle For Pleasure | |
Wim Mertens – Time Passing | ||
Wim Mertens Humility | ||
Wim Mertens Lir | ||
Windham Hill piano sampler | Windham Hill piano sampler | |
Windy Whistle (Le Renard et l’Enfant OST) Alice Lewis | ||
Wings (McCartney) – Greatest Hits | Wings sheet music | |
Winifred Atwell Album Of Rags No 1 Original arrangements Vintage songbook | Winifred Atwell Album Of Rags No 1 Original arrangements Vintage songbook | |
Winifred Atwell Marguerite Monnot The Poor People Of Paris ( La Goualante Du Pauvre Jean) Piano Solo | ||
Winnie The Pooh The Honey Tree Sheet Music (Disney) | Winnie The Pooh The Honey Tree Sheet Music (Disney) | |
Winter Sonata O.S.T. (Ryu) | ||
Winter Wonderland Other Christmas Favorites Songbook Piano Vocal guitar Chords | Winter Wonderland and Other Christmas Favorites Songbook Piano Vocal guitar Chords | |
Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Within Temptation – Our Solemn Hour | ||
Without you (Maria Carey) | ||
Without You (Mariah Carey Piano Arr ) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Wiz Khalifa & Charlie Puth See You Again (Solo Piano) | ||
Wolf Wagner Paraphrase Über Die Walküre | ||
Wolfe Richard Legit Professional Fake Book More Than 1010 Songs | Wolfe Richard Legit Professional Fake Book More Than 1010 Songs | |
Wolfenzon – Stücke für Klavier | Wolfenzon – Stücke für Klavier | |
Womack, Bobby – Midnight Mover My Autobiography The True Story of the Greatest Soul Singer in the World (Book) | ||
Woman in love (Barbra Streisand) | ||
Women Of Pop Rock Songbook Twenty-Two Hot Hits for Easy Piano | Women Of Pop Rock Songbook Twenty-Two Hot Hits for Easy Piano | |
Wonderful Christmastime -Paul Mccartney (Wings) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Wonderful Life – Black (Easy Piano Solo Sheet Music) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Woody Allen – A propósito de nada (autobiografía)(2020) | ||
Woody Allen – Apropos of Nothing (2020) Autobiography | Woody Allen – Apropos of Nothing-Simon and Schuster (2020) Cover | |
Woody Guthrie This Land Is Your Land (Easy and Intermediate Piano Solo) | ||
World Hits Of Jazz Standard | World Hits Of Jazz Standard | |
Wuthering Heights (Ryuichi Sakamoto) | ||
Wynton Kelly – Autumn Leaves Solo transcription | Wynton Kelly – Autumn Leaves Solo transcription | |
Wynton Kelly – Dark Eyes Solo Piano transcription | ||
Wynton Kelly – Dark Eyes Solo Piano Transcription (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Wynton Kelly – Full transcriptions | Wynton Kelly – Full transcriptions | |
Wynton Kelly – I Dig of You Solo transcription | ||
Wynton Kelly – If I should Love You Solo transcription | ||
Wynton Kelly – Jazz Piano Collection | Wynton Kelly Piano Collection- | |
Wynton Kelly – Someday my prince will come (Piano solo) | ||
Wynton Marsalis Trumpet Genius Gourse, Leslie (Book) | ||
Wynton Marsalis – Caravan (Solo) | ||
Wynton Marsalis – Darn That Dream (Solo) | Wynton Marsalis – Darn That Dream (Solo) | |
Wynton Marsalis – Dealfayos Dillema (Solo) | ||
Wynton Marsalis – Standards (sheet music transcriptions) | Wynton Marsales – Standards (sheet music transcriptions) | |
Wynton Marsalis In The Court Of King Oliver (Trumpet and rhythm section) | ||
Wynton Marsalis Omnibook For B Flat Instruments Transcribed exactly from his recorded solos | Wynton Marsalis Omnibook For B Flat Instruments Transcribed exactly from his recorded solos | |
Wynton Marsalis Struttin’ With Some Barbeque (Live) Wynton Marsalis’ Trumpet Solo | ||
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Loneliness Kenji Hiramatsu | Xenoblade Chronicles Opening Theme Game sheet music | |
Xenoblade Chronicles Opening Theme Game sheet music Yoko Shimomura | ||
Yamaha E443 Songbook digital keyboard PSR-E443 | ||
Yamaha Keyboard Songbook | Yamaha Keyboard Songbook | |
Yamaha Keyboard Songbook Song-Buch | ||
Yamaha PSR E373 YPT-370 PSR-EW310 Song book | ||
Yamaha Song Book | Yamaha Song Book | |
Yamaha Song book | Yamaha Songbook | |
Yamaha Songbook | Yamaha-Songbook | |
Yamaha songbook 50 Piano Greats for the piano (Yamaha collection) | 50 Piano Greats for the piano (Yamaha collection) | |
Yamaha Songbook Contemporary Vol. 1 | Yamaha Songbook Contemporary Vol. 1 | |
Yana Bobalik Mysterious Music Я.Бобалік Songbook | ||
Yana Bobalik Secret Music From Mysterious Music Я.Бобалік Таемна Музыка | ||
Yann Tiersen Rue des Cascades (sheet music) | yann tiersen cascades sheet-music | |
Yann Tiersen Mother’s Journey | ||
Yann Tiersen – Tabarly Sheet Music | ||
Yann Tiersen – Comptine Dun Autre ete | ||
Yann Tiersen – La Dispute – Amelie Poulain | ||
Yann Tiersen – La Valse d’Amelie Poulain | Yann Tiersen – La Valse Damelie | |
Yann Tiersen – Le moulin – Amelie Poulain | Le Moulin – Amelie Poulain | |
Yann Tiersen – Six pièces pour piano – Volume 2 – Amélie Poulain | Yann Tiersen – Six pieces pour piano – Volume 2 – Music Sheet | |
Yann Tiersen – Summer 78 | ||
Yann Tiersen – Sur Le Fil | ||
Yann Tiersen – Pièces pour piano vol 1 et 2 + divers | Yann Tiersen – pièces pour piano vol 1 et 2 + divers | |
Yann Tiersen Eusa 2015 Songbook | ||
Yann Tiersen J’Y Suis Jamais Alle piano solo (Amélie) | ||
Yann Tiersen Onze Pièces Pour Piano | Yann Tiersen Onze Pièces Pour Piano | |
Yann Tiersen Partitions intégrales Piano Works 1993-2004 | Yann Tiersen Partitions intégrales Piano Works 1993-2004 | |
Yann Tiersen Tabarly Complete Book For Piano | ||
Yanni In My Time (Piano Solos) Sheet Music | Yanni In my time piano solos | |
Yanni One Man’s Dream | ||
Yanni – Per Piano (Piano book) | Yanni – Per Piano | |
Yanni – In The Morning Light | ||
Yanni – Nostalgia | ||
Yanni – One Man’s Dream (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Yanni -The Best of | ||
Yanni Ethnicity Book | Yanni Ethnicity Book | |
Yaron Herman – Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen) transcription | ||
Yashal (Elisa) | ||
Yasuharu Takanashi – Naruto Shippuden OST – Loneliness | ||
Yedidia, Ronn Piano Sonata No 3 outcries (manuscrit) | ||
Yehezkel Raz Ballerina Piano Solo sheet music | ||
YES Fragile | YES Fragile | |
YES – Complete Deluxe Edition | YES – Complete Deluxe Edition | |
Yes Close To The Edge The Story Of Yes (Book) | ||
Yes The Best Of Guitar Songbook with TABs | Yes The Best Of Guitar Songbook | |
Yesterday Piano Cello – Piano Sheet Music – Paul McCartney | ||
Yesterday Piano vocal guitar Songbook Featuring Music From the OST | ||
Yesterday The Beatles For Jazz Piano (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Yesterday when I was young (Charles Aznavour) | ||
Yimkin Law ( Et maintenant on va où OST) Racha Rizk | ||
Yiruma – 27 May | ||
Yiruma – Destiny Of Love | ||
Yiruma – Dream | ||
Yiruma – Dream A Little Dream Of Me | Yiruma – Dream A Little Dream Of Me | |
Yiruma – Falling |