Features
News, articles and features from the world of classical music
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?
What's new?
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
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
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
Artists
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
How do you find the right teacher at music college?
Cellist Seth Parker Woods shares his wisdom on how to choose the best music teacher
Otto Klemperer: he fled the Nazis, suffered mental illness - and was one of the great conductors
For many, conductor Otto Klemperer will be remembered as the steady and reliable champion of classic repertoire, but in his youth the German was a dashing advocate of the new, writes Andrew Green
Composers
These seven composers endured miserable love lives - but forged sublime music from them
When it comes to love, the great composers are, frankly, pretty much like the rest of us: hopeless. Here are six composers who endured terrible love lives
The great JS Bach was thrown in jail in 1717. Here's what happened
A desire to change jobs caused Bach to spend almost four weeks in prison. Here we explain more...
Charles-Valentin Alkan: the child prodigy who lived as a hermit and influenced Chopin, Liszt and Ravel
A performer who became a hermit, Charles-Valentin Alkan wrote the most demanding piano works in history, says Malcolm Hayes
Instruments
Christmas ukulele songs: nine festive classics you can easily master on the uke
Our roundup of the easiest Christmas songs to play on the ukulele
The percussion family: meet 5 important instruments played by hitting, scraping or shaking
The marimba: all you need to know about the 'flutey' sounding percussion instrument
Our guide to the marimba, the atmospheric percussion instrument that has been gaining a foothold in the repertoire over the last 50 years
Jazz
Best jazz pianists: 15 of the greatest piano players in the history of jazz
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
The 25 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 John Coltrane to John Dankworth, we've had a go at ranking the top 25 - and we've recommended an essential album from each
From jazz to classical: five surprising classical albums from jazz greats
Musical terms
Musical keys: what they are and how they are used in classical music
Composers have, over the ages, chosen keys to ‘flavour’ their music in a particular way. So which are the most characterful, and who has used them to their greatest effect? Ivan Hewett delves into his scores to find out
What are microtones? The tiny building blocks of all music...
Though we may not always realise it, microtones – intervals of smaller than a semitone – are all around us when we listen to music, explains Tom Service
Tempo: a guide to one of music's most essential elements
Do you know your Adagio from your Allegro? Here’s a quick explanation of the musical term 'tempo' and a whistle-stop tour of the various tempi, with some famous examples for each
Recordings
Handel's Messiah: the best recordings of this festive choral masterpiece
We name the best recordings of of Handel’s Messiah, a choral masterpiece that should have everyone shouting Hallelujah!
Bach for beginners: 12 great recordings to unlock the Baroque master's magical music
Pianist George Lepauw introduces us to his essential Bach listening
Gaspard de la nuit: inside Ravel’s famously haunting piano cycle
Rebecca Franks explores the twilight world of Ravel’s haunting and nightmarish cycle, Gaspard de la nuit, and finds the best recording of this virtuosic work
Science of Music
Music can help tackle multiple sclerosis - here are the scientific benefits
Music’s ability to reduce stress, stimulate nerves and ‘rewire’ the brain can help to manage the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, writes Rebecca Franks
Music for studying: 15 great works for mental focus and concentration
What is the best music to aid a little learning? These are the best pieces of music for studying and keeping you on task and concentrating when the going gets tough and you're feeling easily distracted
Calmness, flexibility and time to relax... How to maintain a healthy work-life balance
Violinist Chloe Chua shares how she maintains a healthy work-life balance...
TV and Film music
Best Disney soundtracks: 11 of the best musical soundworlds conjured by the inimitable Mouse House
Sean Wilson counts down his top 10 Disney soundtracks, but do you agree with his choices - or have we missed your favourite?
The ancient and unusual musical sounds at the heart of Gladiator II
Gladiator II features an epic score by British composer Harry Gregson-Williams and it features a host of fascinating instruments and an international cast of players…
Best Bond themes: which is the greatest theme from the James Bond franchise?
007 fan? Michael Beek counts down all the James Bond film theme tunes, from worst to best
Works
'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"
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?
Opera's greatest death scenes: six unforgettable operatic demises
Stabbings, suicides and even death by guillotine punctuate the gore-spattered pages of operatic history.