Features
News, articles and features from the world of classical music
Blondie songs ranked: the New Wave pioneers' 15 greatest tracks
From punk to disco to pop perfection, these 15 Blondie classics show why their style, swagger and songs still captivate
Favourite Franz Liszt work: six great pianists name a best-loved piece from the great Romantic
We ask six Liszt pianists to name one work by the composer that inspires them above all others
Genesis: their 16 greatest songs, ranked
Explore Genesis’s greatest songs—from epic prog masterpieces to iconic hits—ranked for their creativity, emotion, and lasting impact.
Best movie scores of all time: 20 scores that changed the way we feel movies
Grab the popcorn, dim the lights and settle in for a run through our ranking of the greatest film scores of all time...
Tchaikovsky: doomed marriage, tortured sexuality... and devastatingly beautiful music
Tchaikovsky: a great Russian, a great Romantic - and a master of the lament
What's new?
Seven astonishing debut albums that their creators never bettered
Some artists peak early—these stunning debut albums set a standard so high, even their creators couldn’t top them later
Eleven incredible pieces of music written by teenagers
From Schubert to Shostakovich, these stunning works prove youth is no barrier to genius—prepare to be astonished
Brawling, bed-hopping... murder? Music's 15 worst-behaved composers
From Mozart to Peter Warlock, here are 15 composers who stepped out of line - socially, sexually, or just with too much motorbike-based nudity
Is there a link between mental illness and creativity? Top psychologists have their say
The cliché of the ‘mad genius’ has long perpetuated the idea that creativity and mental illness are linked. But, asks Rebecca Franks, how true is that notion?
Classical music can calm our anxiety. Here’s the science behind it
The music that calms us can be deeply personal, writes Claire Jackson, yet certain universal elements are scientifically proven to ease stress
Artists
'Be young all your life': 15 musicians who played on into their 90s
For some performers and composers, the notion of retiring at 90 has been simply out of the question, as Terry Blain explains
Here are 10 reasons you should NEVER marry a musician
Free concert tickets and a home filled with the joys of music might seem tempting now, but you could live to regret it...!
These 11 musical mavericks followed absolutely none of the rules
From Satie to Sun Ra, we salute 11 musicians who defiantly did things their own way - and left music incalculably the richer for it
Composers
‘What a giftless bastard!': when composers tear into each other
Sparks fly and verbal venom is spat, as John Evans explores the great names who simply loved to take potshots at each other
Vivaldi’s British Invasion: How the Red Priest conquered a country he never even saw
Vivaldi never crossed the English Channel. But rich clients and the postal service ensured his popularity far from home
German composers: the 21 greatest of all time, ranked (and where to start with each)
Germany has produced some of the greatest compositional voices in history – many of whom are considered among the best across the entire globe. Here are some of the very best - and a musical gateway into each one
Instruments
Bored of practice? Here’s how to love playing again in just 100 days
Amateur violinist Ariane Todes reveals how, after losing the will to practise during the pandemic,
she was inspired by Hilary Hahn on social media
to reconnect with her beloved four-stringed friend
The contrabassoon: the orchestra’s deepest voice
Meet the contrabassoon: classical music’s deepest voice and unsung hero of the orchestral underworld
The celesta: the magical instrument that adds a touch of enchantment to music
Meet the celesta, whose delicate, filigree sound lends such magic to the world of Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker
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
The 'devil in music': the musical trick 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
The 1970s were the LP's golden era. Here's the greatest album from each '70s year
From glam to punk, prog to soul, the 1970s defined the album era—here are the decade’s standout releases, year by year.
Alfred Brendel: these seven stellar recordings will stand as the pianist's great legacy
We salute the late, great pianist Alfred Brendel by picking out seven outstanding recordings from his impressive discography
Adventures at the edge of music: ranking the King Crimson albums
From that explosive, visionary debut onwards, King Crimson have constantly pushed at the boundaries of prog, jazz and hard rock. We assess their wildly inventive back catalogue
Science of Music
Rewire your brain: 7 classical tracks that boost focus and creativity
Scientific research continues to support what musicians and music lovers have long known: that classical music can reduce stress, improve cognitive function, and even rewire the brain for greater efficiency
The extraordinary power of music to unlock buried memories in dementia patients
Could dinosaurs sing? Science reveals their surprisingly melodious voices
Forget those terrifying low-pitched roars – scientific research suggests that dinosaur voices may have been more tuneful than we think, reveals Tom Service
TV and Film music
Jaws at 50: how John Williams' groundbreaking soundtrack saved Spielberg's cinematic masterpiece from disaster
As Steven Spielberg’s Jaws celebrates its 50th birthday, Charlotte Smith explores the vital role played by John Williams’s famously unsettling soundtrack
Which classical musicians should be the stars of Hollywood blockbusters?
Hollywood has taken an unexpected interest in classical music of late, says Tom Service – so here are some suggestions for their next blockbusting successes
Ranked: the 15 best movie musicals of all time
Ever since sound and film were first united in The Jazz Singer (1927), the musical has been a staple of cinema history and popular culture, but what are the best film musicals of all time?
Works
Struggling to sleep? Try these 11 dreamlike melodies
We guide you through the pieces of music that will help relax the mind, calm the nerves and send you off to sleep
Musicians told us their dream and nightmare works to perform. And one composer comes up A LOT
Which works do orchestral players love to play? And which do they dread? We head round the sections of some of Europe’s finest ensembles to find out
Best of Tchaikovsky: 11 thrilling masterpieces by Russia's greatest composer
Romeo and Juliet, the Nutcracker, the Pathétique... Tchaikovsky's repertoire is stuffed full of melodic and emotional masterpieces. Here are 11 of the greatest