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Online carol services 2024: ten livestreams to recreate that carol service magic in your living room
Create a Christmas carol concert in your living room. Our roundup of the best Christmas carol services
Polish Christmas carols: seven of the best-loved festive carols from Poland
Our guide to the most famous Polish Christmas carols
Hooked on Classics: the 1980s phenomenon with Mozart, drum machines... and record-busting sales
In the eighties, Hooked on Classics saw the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra dominate the pop charts and bring classical music to a mainstream audience...
Beethoven Ninth Symphony: a monumental, life-affirming work
We delve into the revolutionary genius and lasting impact of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
The 13 best classical albums of 2024
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1: the story of a Romantic showstopper and its best recordings
Claire Jackson explains how this king of the concert hall triumphed despite its inauspicious start in life, and presents the best recordings of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1
John Williams: the maestro behind some of cinema's most iconic soundtracks
It’s likely more people around the world know some music written by John Williams than they do Bach or Beethoven. From Star Wars to Harry Potter, via Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park, his music for films has made him a bit of a superstar. Here’s everything you ought to know about the legendary composer.
Christmas carol meanings: the hidden messages behind your favourite carols
What do the words of our best-known Christmas carols actually mean? Here are some popular Christmas carol lyrics and meanings
A passionate and sometimes volatile perfectionist... What was it like to study with conductor Kurt Masur?
Kahchun Wong, the Hallé’s new principal conductor, salutes the mentoring he received from Kurt Masur
Best folk songs: 14 of the most famous roots music numbers from around the world
Our round up of some of the world's most beautiful, moving and lyrical folk songs
Maria Callas: the voice that redefined opera
Her voice may have divided audiences, but the Greek soprano Maria Callas never failed to compel with powerfully vivid performances. Michael Tanner explores the life and career of arguably the greatest opera singer ever
Johann Sebastian Bach: the Baroque innovator who changed the sound of classical music forever
Meet the king of counterpoint, Johann Sebastian Bach
Christmas choral music: 11 transcendentally beautiful works for the festive season
What are the greatest songs and choral works written for the festive period?
Franz Schmidt: the brilliant composer cancelled for pleasing the Nazis
A cataclysmic decision in his final year led to this masterful late-Romantic symphonist being cast out into the cold, explains Erik Levi
Is genius overrated? Why genius composers need ordinary 'second-rankers' in order to thrive
The ability to recognise creative genius is of fundamental value when it comes to composers sharing their music with the world, argues columnist Richard Morrison
Just why are choristers' voices so beautiful? Science has the answer
Why are choir boys and girls' singing voices so tuneful? Scientists explain just what makes choristers' voices so special and distinctive
Ada Lovelace: the visionary who imagined computers composing music two centuries ahead of her time
The 19th-century mathematician and musician Ada Lovelace was the first to spot computers’ creative potential. David De Roure tells her intriguing story and explores her legacy
From nightclubs to condoms - weird and wonderful opera advertising campaigns
For centuries, promoters have advertised opera in weird and wonderful ways. Alexandra Wilson takes a look at some of the more memorable campaigns
Music can unlock cherished memories - and even help treat dementia. Here's how
Dr Catherine Loveday examines the deep-rooted connections that link music and memory - and how we negotiate our social and emotional lives
The black icon, the First Lady, and the concert that changed America
When Marian Anderson took to the stage in 1939 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, she had the full support of the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who had taken up her cause after Anderson was rejected from a concert hall because of a racist policy
Best American composers: 16 composers who changed the course of American music
Daniel Jaffé explores the lives and works of the USA's greatest ever composers
'There's no such thing as silence': What is the point of John Cage's 4'33"?
How composer John Cage bemused, intrigued and (in some cases) angered New York with the sound of his silent new composition, 4'33"
Van Cliburn: the American pianist who triumphed in Russia at the Cold War's chilliest moment
American pianist Van Cliburn caused a major shock in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War, when he won the Tchaikovsky competition in 1958
Children's Christmas songs: 11 classic festive singalongs for all ages
Are these the best Christmas songs for kids? Or did we miss your favourite?