I listened to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E flat major (“Eroica”) this morning, and I noticed that it ends the same way that it starts. I think one of the ending notes is even the same note as the starting notes. In any case, this made me think of the beginning and ending of the Moody Blues’ Days of Future Passed. I haven’t verified this yet, but I’m pretty sure that the gong that ends the album also starts the album (although it’s reversed).
I’m not very knowledgeable about the genesis of Days of Future Passed, but I think originally, Decca had wanted to try some new recording technique with Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony before the Moody Blues were allowed to do their album. Between that and the nature of the musical interludes (which can be symphonic at times), it would make sense that the opening and ending sounds were taken from Beethoven’s paradigm. That’s purely conjecture though. I don’t even know if Beethoven was the first to end something the same way he started it, and I wouldn’t be too confident in saying he was.
Still, regardless of who influenced whom and whether it was influence or coincidence, the same musical idea is employed here. It’s just that Beethoven did it purely with notes and the Moody Blues did it by reversing the tape.
