Crossover (music)
Crossover occurs when a work from one genre of music becomes popular among listeners who ordinarily listen to other, more popular genres. For example, particular works of classical music sometimes become popular among individuals who mostly listen to popular music.Often crossover results from the appearance of the music in question in a film score. For instance, Sacred Harp music experienced a spurt of crossover popularity as a result of its appearance in the 2003 film Cold Mountain.
Some classical works that achieved crossover status in the twentieth century include the Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel, the Symphony No. 3 by Henryk GÃÂórecki, and the second movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto, K. 457 (from its appearance in a 1967 film entitled Elvira Madigan).
Even atonal music, which tends to be less popular among classical enthusiasts, has a kind of crossover niche, since (as Charles Rosen has noted) it is widely used in film and television scores "to depict an approaching menace".
Crossover is highly prized by executives of the music industry, since the profits of a recording that achieves crossover status can be high.