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I know from being a fan of Frank's since Freak Out was released that two of his favorite classical composers were Stravinsky and Bartok.  I'm curious, from anyone who might know, what Frank's opinion was of Gyorgy Ligeti, who I know lists Bartok as one of his key influences.  Can Gail  or anyone shed any light on this?

I don't know about Ligeti, but I know he liked Webern. And Bulgarian folk music. Both things are very, very nice!

While we're on the topic, I am curious to know why Zappa listed Roger Sessions as one of his influences in the liner notes for Freak Out. Sessions is one of my personal favorites, but I can't see what Zappa learned from Sessions' music. After all, Sessions staunchly defended the European musical tradition, was indifferent to folk and popular music, included virtually no humor or satire in his music, and composed almost exclusively in classical forms.

You didnt mention Edgar Varese, he was a HUGE influence on his classical style.

One of his favorite composers was Conlon Nancarrow. I opened a thread about him a few months ago, it must be somewhere on this forum.

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Funny you should ask about the Ligeti influence. I was recently listening to the Six Bagatelles For Wind Quintet, and no.3 made me think of G-Spot Tornado.

I've heard Webern's name mentioned in interviews, but I don't recall FZ ever mentioning Schoenberg. The first time I heard Five Pieces For Orchestra, the first name that popped into my head was Zappa. I'm sure FZ was listening to this stuff in his formative years.

I believe Takemitsu was another favorite.

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"bit of nostalgia for the old folks."