Features
News, articles and features from the world of classical music
Anna Lapwood interview: the ‘TikTok organist’ on women composers, social media and the power of practice
Anna Lapwood's TIkTok has garnered a huge following, one most classical musicians would dream of. But does it translate into concert halls? She tells us more...
Maestro: how Bradley Cooper became Leonard Bernstein for the Netflix biopic
Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Jamie Bernstein discuss how Bradley Cooper embodied the late great conductor Leonard Bernstein in appearance, movement and, of course, conducting...
The best works by Ethel Smyth
We look at some of the best pieces of music by the leading composer and suffragette Ethel Smyth
Why musicians shouldn't be afraid to take on political causes
The film Maestro reminded us that Bernstein was a tremendously political figure, championing causes boldly and bravely. Where are the fearless conductors and soloists of today, speaking out about political and social wrongs that need addressing?
Five of the best sea shanties
There's nothing like singing along to a good old sea shanty. Here are 5 of the greatest sea shanty songs to sing by the sea, in the pub or at any of the UK's brilliant sea shanty festivals
What's new?
Best Star Wars music: all nine Star Wars music scores ranked worst to best
How do all nine Star Wars scores stack up? Here's our ranking of the best and worst Star Wars music
Walton's Cello Concerto: a guide to Walton's cello masterpiece and its best recordings
Jo Talbot introduces Walton’s most beguiling yet underestimated scores for cello, and finds the recordings which do it justice
The best Italian composers of all time
From Palestrina to Einaudi, Italian composers have given us wonderful music, in opera and beyond. Here is our pick of the top ten best Italian composers of all time =
Who is Ludwig Göransson? A guide to the Oscar-winning film composer
Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson has captured the attention of the film music world in recent years, but his composing career has been much more diverse than most...
Songs about death: 10 of the most powerful melodies on mortality
Our round-up of the most powerful songs about death
Artists
Tasmin Little interview: no longer performing, but busier than ever
As 2020 drew to a close, British violinist Tasmin Little stepped down from a highly successful performing career. But, as she tells Charlotte Smith, she is now busier than ever
Russell Watson: the tenor chooses the music that shaped him
The much-loved British tenor tells BBC Music Magazine about the music that has had the profoundest impact on him
Best folk singers: 10 of the most famous
Our round-up of the world's best folk singers
Composers
Bernard Herrmann: the iconic film composer who formed a dream team with Alfred Hitchcock
Complex and irascible, Bernard Herrmann was plagued by career frustrations, but remains one of cinema’s most iconic musical voices
Monteverdi, Claudio
Meet Monteverdi, early opera pioneer and classical music's first great dramatist
Puccini: the Italian opera maestro who added Wagner to Verdi
Opera's craftsman of emotion
Instruments
Easiest instruments: ten best instruments for easy learning
Our guide to the 10 easiest, most practical musical instruments to learn and play
Hardest instruments to learn: ten most challenging musical instruments
Our round up of the hardest instruments to play and learn - do you agreee?
What is a theremin?
It has been used in pop music, classical music and movies about alien landings, but what actually is a theremin and how is it played? Here is everything you need to know about the eerie, sci-fi-esque instrument
Jazz
Best books about jazz
We share some of the best books about jazz, all reviewed by the experts at BBC Music Magazine
Anouar Brahem: Blue Maqams
Western jazz musicians were exploring Arabic music and maqams(modes) half a century ago, long before ‘world music’ became a scene.
Denys Baptiste: The Late Trane
The album title here refers to some of the late works of saxophonist John Coltrane, an artist that inspired London’s Denys Baptiste and generations of other sax players besides. Coltrane himself recorded these lesser-known numbers in 1965, the year before his groundbreaking A Love Supreme, and many of the tracks were released posthumously.
Musical terms
Concerto vs symphony: what's the difference?
Need to know how a concerto differs from a symphony? What do they have in common, and what separates them? Michael Beek explains
Musical terms dictionary: a glossary of useful musical language
Stuck on the meaning of a particular musical terms? Help is at hand, with the BBC Music Magazine glossary of musical terminology
What is a contralto?
Discover what a contralto is and the range they sing
Recordings
Khachaturian Piano Concerto: a guide to this exotic work and its best recordings
Khachaturian Piano Concerto: bold, brash, bombastic - and famous for a rather unusual instrument. Claire Jackson assesses a unique work
Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante: a guide to this beautiful work and its best recordings
A guide to Mozart's lively, sorrowful and beautiful work for violin, viola and orchestra, and some of the best recorded versions available
A guide to Orff's 'Carmina Burana' and its best recordings
From Old Spice to X Factor, a certain three minutes of Carmina Burana is known to many of us. But what of the rest of the work? Here's our guide, and some best recordings
TV and Film music
15 best movie songs ranked: our favourite film songs
Are these the 15 greatest original movie songs of all time?
Best Disney songs: are these the 15 greatest ever?
Sean Wilson chooses his best Disney songs of all time - do you agree with his choices?
Doctor Who voted UK’s favourite sci-fi theme tune
The Doctor Who theme tune, composed by Ron Grainer and arranged by Delia Derbyshire, topped the chart with its eerie, otherworldly sound
Works
Best American folk songs: 10 of the best-loved US folk tunes
From 'Freight Train' to 'Blue Moon of Kentucky', we run through some of the best-loved US folk tunes
Ravel Boléro: what makes it so unique?
Sad songs: 10 of the most melancholy melodies
Our round-up of some of the saddest and most haunting songs in musical history