Thank George Harrison and Ravi Shankar for the way Indian Classical music has crept into the sound-world of Western music. The 1960s and 70s saw the first amalgamations of the two, illustrated by the sitar concertos of Shankar and of Andre Previn.
Of course, the Orient was around in classical music of the West from long before. Going back a couple of generations, the Gamelan music of Indonesia made a deep and eloquent impact on the work of Claude Debussy. The Impressionist harmonies of La Mer owe something to Asia. Later, another Frenchman, Olivier Messiaen would write the gigantic “Turangalila” symphony with its chakras and bird calls: not the easiest listening but memorable.
Go back a bit further, though, and you get into more dodgy territory: the Orient at this point basically meant Egypt and what that meant in turn was take any random melody, give it a sinuous lilt with the use of a couple of flutes and off you go! Saint-Saens’ 5th (Egyptian) piano concerto is one such typical culprit, but Verdi’s “Aida” and “Othello” contain oriental music which, if not authentic, is still unforgettable.
What about an old favourite of mine -- Rimsky Korsakov's Scheherazade ???
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