Features
News, articles and features from the world of classical music
This composer's personal life was an enigma. His music is a thing of wonder
We explore the life and work of Maurice Ravel, master craftsman of French music
Who was Ivor Novello? The Welsh songwriter and operetta composer who inspired The Ivors
Prog rock 1975: ranking the 17 greatest prog albums turning 50 this year
1975 was a landmark year for progressive rock, delivering groundbreaking albums that pushed musical boundaries and redefined the genre’s scope. Here are the 15 best
Shock impact and religious zeal: how historically informed performance revolutionised classical music
Ranked: the 21 greatest country rock albums of all time
When rock met country, magic happened — steel guitars, road songs, and restless hearts. These 21 albums defined that bittersweet crossroads
What's new?
Haydn: classical music's greatest humourist
Joseph Haydn: the classical era's great humourist... and more
Sex, scandal, symphonies: the dark history of great composers and syphilis
Romantic composers were passionate, sensual and untrammelled in their desires. Sadly, this meant a surge in deaths from syphilis
These 15 stone-cold classic albums were a nightmare to make
From Fleetwood Mac to Tears for Fears: 15 classic rock albums that cost blood, sweat and tears to put together
The bizarre classical music work where one player sits in the other's lap
Step forward Ligeti, Stockhausen and, er, Mozart: here are classical music's strangest, craziest and weirdest compositions
Why a besotted piano student held Liszt at gunpoint
Artists
From the Middle Ages to Miles Davis, these are the 10 best trumpeters of all time
Leading trumpeter Matilda Lloyd traces the history of her instrument through ten influential players, from the Tudor era to the present day
15 bands whose lyrics we just don't understand (and we love it that way)
Some of rock’s most beloved bands sing in riddles, nonsense, or invented languages — and we love them all the more for it
These 12 iconic musicians walked away at the height of their powers
When stars vanish at their peak – Barrett, Stevens, Denny, Gould – their abrupt exits leave mystery, legend, and longing in their wake
Composers
Robbed from the grave: the mysterious tales of composers’ missing body parts
Steve Wright peers into the coffin as he investigates the deceased composers whose bodies continued to go on their own adventures
Rachmaninov: huge hands, hypnotherapy ... and breathtaking music
The last great Russian Romantic: meet Sergey Rachmaninov, creator of some of classical music's most irresistible melodies
We ranked the 31 greatest composers of all time (the top 3 were so tough)
We asked today's composers to choose the 31 greatest composers of all time. A tough task: here's how they rank...
Instruments
Is this music's eeriest instrument?
We explain the workings of the unusual instrument, the Ondes Martenot, that takes centre stage in Messiaen's Turangalîla Symphony
This is the most expensive piano in the world. Here's why
A guide to the most expensive piano ever sold at auction, and its unique place in cultural history
Rock's most iconic bass guitar vanished in 1969 - and turned up in an attic half a century later
Million-dollar violins stolen from cafes - and more: our guide to some of the most famous stolen musical instruments in history
Jazz
Jazz pianists ranked: these are jazz's 15 greatest magicians of the piano
Who are the best jazz pianists of all time? Here, in alphabetical order, are 15 of the greatest ivory tinkers in the history of jazz
From jazz piano in cocktail bars to starring in Wicked: Jeff Goldblum's musical memories
Best jazz saxophonists of all time, ranked - and the albums you need to add to your library now
Who is the best jazz saxophonist of all time? From Johnny Hodges to John Coltrane, we've had a go at ranking the top 15 - and we've recommended an essential album from each
Musical terms
Tritone: the 'devil in music' once thought so dangerous that it was banned outright
For centuries, the tritone - a musical interval spanning three whole tones - has added tension, drama and mystery to music by everyone from Bach to Bernstein
What is a symphony? | Inside the symphony: everything you need to know about one of music's quintessential building blocks
Haydn wrote more than 100. Brahms wrote four, all amazing. Mahler put the whole world into his. All you need to know about the symphony
Musical keys: what they are, and what each one means in music
Composers use musical keys to ‘flavour’ their music in a particular way. But how do keys work their peculiar magic? And what particular mood does each key evoke?
Recordings
Genesis: all 15 albums ranked from worst to best (the top 5 were SO tough)
We rank every Genesis studio album, from their early prog masterpieces to the stadium filling pop-rock of the 1980s
These are the 31 greatest classical albums to start your collection
Our round-up of the best must-have performances of classical music. Update your collection with the great symphonies, choral works, operas, chamber and instrumental works
9 'classic' albums that fell flat (and what went wrong)
Even legends falter. From the Stones to McCartney, 9 albums that should’ve been masterpieces — but instead missed the mark in fascinating ways
Science of Music
Music can teach us the secrets to a better life. Here’s how
It’s official: playing an instrument is good for your mind and body. But, asks Ariane Todes, what other life skills can musicians teach us?
Hospitals are using music to ease pain and depression in patients. Here's how
It is widely accepted that music can boost mood and wellbeing, but it can also be used in medical settings to ease depression and pain, writes Peter Somerford
How brain cells grown in a lab are allowing a composer to write music... after his death
Tom Service’s mind boggles as he explains how science has enabled an American composer to continue writing music… some four years after his death
TV and Film music
The 12 best uses of classical music in film
What are the best ever uses of classical music masterpieces in film? From heartbreaking love stories to apocalyptic visions, we select our top 12
Star Wars music: ranking the nine film scores from worst to best
How do all nine Star Wars scores stack up? Here's our ranking of the best and worst Star Wars music
We asked today's best screen composers for the greatest movie score of all time. Here's how they voted
We asked over 60 of today's very best film and television composers to tell us which scores would be in their top five of all time, and they didn't disappoint.
Works
Ranked: the 15 greatest piano music pieces of all time
From Bach’s sacred architecture to Debussy’s shimmering dreamscapes, these 15 masterpieces trace the piano’s evolution — a story of intellect, emotion, and invention that spans three centuries and every shade of the human soul
The most terrifying jump scares in classical music
Who needs visuals? The great composers are masters at getting us jumping out of our skins with just the terrifying force of music,
as Tom Service explains
Don't like classical music? This work will change your mind
Think you don’t like classical music? Think again. Fifteen instantly recognisable, wildly enjoyable pieces that prove classical can be thrilling, funny, romantic – and unforgettable