The term "classical crossover" was coined by record companies in the 1980s, according to WNYC's web article "Classical Crossover: A Timeline." However, classical music artists "crossing over" into other genres has been documented throughout musical history. Mozart's classical works were considered "cutting-edge" popular music during his time, but the modern history of what is now considered classical crossover can be traced to John McCormack, a singer with the Metropolitan Opera in the 1930s and early 1940s. McCormack performed popular folk songs and ballads with his operatic singing style and sold millions of records.
Mario Lanza and Liberace brought classical music into the pop mainstream in the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1960s, classical violinist Yehudi Menuhin teamed up with sitarist Ravi Shankar to record an album. In the 1970s, rock groups such as Emerson, Lake and Palmer, The Moody Blues and Electric Light Orchestra regularly made use of classical works and instrumentation--sometimes teaming up with full classical orchestras--in a successful experiment to combine classical with rock music.
The "new breed" of crossover artists includes singers and musicians that are equally at home in the classical and popular music realms. Sarah Brightman, The Three Tenors (Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and José Carreras) and Andrea Bocelli are just a few singers who originally made their name in traditional opera and classical music, but went on to produce crossover recordings. Rock artists such as Billy Joel and Paul McCartney have produced classical crossover records. As with many "crossover" or "fusion" genres, the lines are often blurred from one musical style to another.
Classical crossover music is geared toward audiences who listen to classical and opera music, but who appreciate the more simplistic approach to popular song structure, and listeners who may not yet have been exposed to classical styles. Modern crossover music can be enjoyed by listeners of all ages, but the influx of more and more teen-aged artists entering the genre--starting in the early 2000s--has introduced crossover music as a viable and serious music alternative for younger generations.
Classical crossover music is significant because it occupies one of the few segments of the recording and performing industries that has not been overly exploited or saturated. Its diversity and popular acceptance allows the genre to be introduced to un-tapped markets for record companies and entrepreneurs, evident by the 2005 formation of a "New Kids on the Block" type classical crossover group "Il Divo," formed by American Idol's Simon Cowell.