History Main / ClassicalMusicIsCool

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* Musicians like Music/WendyCarlos (''Music/SwitchedOnBach''), have made ElectronicMusic renditions of iconic classical music pieces that ''pep'' up the music by giving it spacy and futuristic sounds. As a result, many people who normally would never listen to classical music have bought ''these'' albums, because they felt it sounded much more exciting and better. Truth be told, several have eventually learned to appreciate classical music thanks to these electronic versions.
* Some of Music/FrankZappa's biggest influences included classical composers, such as Music/EdgardVarese and Music/IgorStravinsky.
* With so many progressive rock musicians having classical backgrounds, this seems to be an ethos, with many performers working classical repertoire into their music.
** Music/{{Yes}} has used Music/IgorStravinsky's [[Theatre/TheFirebird "Firebird Suite"]] as entrance music at their concerts for a long time.
** Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer was famous for doing rockified versions of classical music, with one of their most famous albums being a version of Music/ModestMussorgsky's ''Music/PicturesAtAnExhibition'', to the point where ELP's version [[CoveredUp is the best-known to the general non-classical-listening public]].
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* In a ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' strip, the 1812 Overture was being played and Hobbes pointed out to Calvin that those weren't drums in the symphony but cannons. Calvin's appreciation of the piece greatly increases with this revelation.

* The ProgressiveRock band Music/{{Yes}} has used Music/IgorStravinsky's [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Theatre/TheFirebird "Firebird Suite"]] as entrance music at their concerts for a long time.
* Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer was famous for doing rockified versions of classical music, with one of their most famous albums being a version of Music/ModestMussorgsky's ''Music/PicturesAtAnExhibition'', to the point where ELP's version [[CoveredUp is the best-known to the general non-classical-listening public]].
* With so many progressive rock musicians having classical backgrounds, this seems to be an ethos, with many performers working in classical repertoire into their music, as mentioned above.

* Invoked by Wheatley in ''[[VideoGame/{{Portal2}} Portal 2]]'' where he plays classical music so as to "[[FeigningIntelligence prove]]" to Chell and [=GlaDoS=] that [[BerserkButton he is not a moron]].

* ''Film/AClockworkOrange'': The VillainProtagonist Alex [=DeLarge=], is a hip young hooligan who is outfitted in the height of fashion and attends all the most popular hangouts. He's also a fan of the classical music, with his favorite composer being Beethoven. Classical music seems to be more popular than in this future dystopia than it is today, though evidenced by Dim's reaction to the singer at the milk bar, it's not universally admired by the youth.

* ''Film/AClockworkOrange'': The VillainProtagonist Alex [=DeLarge=] is a fan of the classical music in general, but mostly Beethoven who is his favorite composer, he's especially fond of 9th Symphony. It's noted that this is his ''only'' socially acceptable hobby.

* In the ''Series/PowerRangersZeo'' episode "[[Recap/PowerRangersZeoS1E12InstrumentOfDestruction Instruments of Destruction]]", it is revealed that Skull is a talented piano player, but refuses to admit it to the people because he believes that it would make him lose his macho cred and lose the respect of his friend Bulk, who hates classical music. After convincing from Adam, Skull agrees to do a performance in front of the school. His skills wow the audience, with Bulk confronting him and [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments admitting that it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard]].

* Not quite "classical," but still in the spirit of the trope: In ''Film/{{Drumline}}'' the band director tries to teach his students to appreciate the classics of pop, such as Music/EarthWindAndFire, which the students tend dismiss as old, stuffy, and out of date. By the end, some of the students write a new routine that incorporates both modern music and the classics.

* Dewey from ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' becomes enraptured after seeing an opera on TV, and spends the episode struggling to write his own. Prior to this, he had already shown aptitude for classical piano music.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}''. D.W. gets Yo Yo Ma to come to the library to play the cello. Arthur and his friends are sure it's going to be boring. Francine has invited her uncle, jazz musician Joshua Redman, for the same day. The kids hope that the two will get into a fight. An ImagineSpot has them in a wrestling ring; Ma pulls out his cello and puts Redman to sleep. But on the day of the meeting it actually goes well, both get along and Redman expresses his enjoyment of classical music.

* In Creator/DanielPinkwater's ''Borgel'', the titular CoolUncle Borgel introduces the main character to classical music on the radio and he finds it really interesting and enlightening.

!!Examples
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* In ''Film/MrHollandsOpus'', this is part of Mr. Holland's job as a music teacher, to get kids to appreciate classical music. At one point he demonstrates the connection between "A Lover's Concerto" and Christian Petzold's "Minuet in G major," much to the amazement of the students (and [[TheNewRockandRoll disapproval]] from the administration).

* In ''Film/MrHollandsOpus'', this is part of Mr. Holland's job as a music teacher, to get kids to appreciate classical music. At one point he demonstrates the connection between "A Lover's Concerto" and Beethoven's "Minuet in G major," much to the amazement of the students (and [[TheNewRockandRoll disapproval]] from the administration).

* The ProgressiveRock band Music/{{Yes}} has used Music/IgorStravinksy's [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Theatre/TheFirebird "Firebird Suite"]] as entrance music at their concerts for a long time.

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* Cartoons like ''WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc'', ''WesternAnimation/TheBandConcert'', ''WesternAnimation/TheCatConcerto'' and others would not nearly be as hilarious without classical music, either as the source of gags or as {{Standard Snippet}}s. Also, MickeyMousing (making the actions in cartoons follow those in the musical score) often uses classical music.

Classical music has a reputation for being [[TrueArtIsBoring endless, boring, and stuffy.]] The Classical Music Is Cool trope challenges this by often having a character who initially dislikes classical music become excitedly rapturous after actually listening to a symphony or opera (thus also overlapping with IDoNotLikeGreenEggsAndHam). Other times, this trope can be used in works where there are [[SnobsVersusSlobs clashing "cultured" and "uncultured" groups]] who favor classical and popular (usually rock) music respectively. After both groups take the time to listen to the music they say they hate, both groups eventually agree that there's merit in both popular and classical music thereby leading to an {{Aesop}} about why it's good to keep an open mind on cultural matters.

This trope also can be invoked to show hidden depths and/or sensitivity in a lower-class/ middle-class male who seems loutish upon first glance.

Further see OrchestralBombing and RockMeAmadeus. The polar opposite of ClassicalMusicIsBoring. Also compare and contrast AtTheOperaTonight, when it's not so much the music itself that's cool as the chance to hang out at a high society event.

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* Dewey from ''Series/MalcolmintheMiddle'' becomes enraptured after seeing an opera on TV, and spends the episode struggling to write his own. Prior to this, he had already shown aptitude for classical piano music.

* ''Film/AClockworkOrange'': The VillainProtagonist Alex [=DeLarge=] is a fan of the classical music in general, but mostly Beethoven who is his favorite composer, he's especially fond of 9th Symphony.

Further see OrchestralBombing and RockMeAmadeus. The polar opposite of ClassicalMusicIsBoring.

* ''Literature/AClockworkOrange'': The VillainProtagonist Alex [=DeLarge=] is a fan of the classical music in general, but mostly Beethoven who is his favorite composer, he's especially fond of 9th Symphony, which can be heard in [[Film/AClockworkOrange the Stanley Kubrick's movie]].

* In ''Series/{{Dexter}}'', the senior FBIAgent Frank Lundy introduces Debra Morgan to Chopin, which helps develop their MayDecemberRomance.

* In the ''Series/PowerRangersZeo'' episode "Recap/PowerRangersZeoS1E12InstrumentOfDestruction", it is revealed that Skull is a talented piano player, but refuses to admit it to the people because he believes that it would make him lose his macho cred and lose the respect of his friend Bulk, who hates classical music. After convincing from Adam, Skull agrees to do a performance in front of the school. His skills wow the audience, with Bulk confronting him and [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments admitting that it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard]].

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