Neoclassical dark wave is a subgenre of
dark wave
Dark wave (also typeset as darkwave) is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as be ...
music that is characterized by an ethereal atmosphere and soprano vocals as well as strong influences from
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
.
Historical context
In the middle of the 1980s, the bands
Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance are an Australian music duo first established in Melbourne. Currently composed of Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry, the group formed in 1981. They relocated to London the following year. Australian music historian Ian McFarlane des ...
and
In the Nursery
In the Nursery are an English neoclassical dark wave and martial industrial band, characterized by their cinematic sound. The duo has provided soundtracks to a variety of TV programmes and films, and is known for its rescoring of silent film ...
released influential albums which essentially laid the foundations of the Neoclassical dark wave genre.
In 1985 Dead Can Dance released ''Spleen and Ideal'', which initiated the band's 'medieval European sound.'
In 1987 In the Nursery released
Stormhorse, which exhibited a symphonic/post-industrial sound lending itself to 'being envisioned as backing music for a dramatic epic.'
See also
*
Dark ambient
*
Martial industrial (martial music)
*
Neofolk
*
Dungeon Synth
Dungeon synth is a genre of electronic music that merges elements of black metal and dark ambient. The style emerged in the early 1990s, predominantly among members of the black metal scene, such as Mortiis, Burzum, Robert Fudali of Lord Win ...
References
{{New wave music
Classical music
Dark wave
de:Dark Wave#Neoklassik