Music

Vivaldi's Four Seasons at the Proms | BBC Proms 2023

Finnish violinist and conductor Pekka Kuusisto leads the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen in a concert of works by Bee...

Chevalier de Saint-Georges | Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

Chevalier de Saint-Georges (AKA Joseph Bologne) was a French violinist, and is credited with being ...

Evelyn Glennie | What Do Artists Do All Day?

Dame Evelyn Glennie is one of the world's finest virtuoso percussionists. This programme reveals the story of how a girl from Ab...

Mozart | Howard Goodall's Story of Music

Howard Goodall dissects Mozart's ''Dove Sono'' and provides some historical context on some of his other works.

Beethoven's ''Eroica'' | Howard Goodall's Story of Music

''Eroica'' was the first sign that Beethoven was breaking away from established musical formulas.

03: Climate of the Times | Standard Grade Art and Design

Schools programme presented by Katy Murphy, exploring the fashion, music, architecture, design, and lifestyles of th...

S02E01: Richard Wagner: The Ring Cycle | Art That Shook The World

Michael Portillo explores his passion for Richard Wagner's Ring cycle, a monumental : and controversial : o...

S01E03: The Marriage of Figaro | Art That Shook The World

Soprano Barbara Bonney examines Mozart's celebrated opera The Marriage of Figaro, based on a banned play by Beaumar...

Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

Lenny Henry and Suzy Klein celebrate black classical composers and musicians across the centuries whose stories and music have l...

Shirley Thompson | Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

Shirley Thompson OBE wrote a symphony for the Queens golden jubilee in 2002; she speaks of combining her two ...

Florence Price | Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

As hard as it was trying to break through in to the classical music scene as a black man, Florence Price had it...

Scott Joplin | Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

Coleridge-Taylor inspired American composers to take Afro-centric ideas further, allowing pioneers like Scott Jop...

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor | Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

As slavery was being abolished, black musicians and composers didn't have to conform to western tropes...

George Bridgetower | Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

Bridgetower was a British musician whose fame drew attention from the likes of Beethoven who wrote a sonata...

Ignatius Sancho | Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

Sancho was born on a slave ship, and lost both his parents. Despite racial adversity he carved his way to maki...

John Blank | Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

John Blank was one of the first documented Tudor Britons painted in a manuscript and was a trumpet-player for Henry...

George Walker | Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History

95-year-old American composer George Walker had his first performance of any of his music when his piece ''Lyric...

Recording the Piano on a Wax Cylinder | Revolution and Romance: Musical Masters of the 19th Century

This clip examines early sound recording technology, showing how performa...

Mahler's Symphonies | Revolution and Romance: Musical Masters of the 19th Century

This segment explores how Gustav Mahler expanded the symphony into an intensely emotional a...

Gamelan's Influence on Claude Debussy | Revolution and Romance: Musical Masters of the 19th Century

Gamelan inspired Claude Debussy to move away from the maximal style of Ri...

How Pop Songs Work

Conductor Charles Hazlewood hosts a celebration of the magic of pop music and explores the skill and musical dexterity that goes into writing, performing ...

The Hacienda - The Club That Shook Britain

The story of Manchester’s Hacienda nightclub, including interviews with famous regulars, including Noel Gallagher. This is the sto...

10: Whigfield and Beyonce | Pop's Greatest Dance Crazes

Whigfield reveals why she does not join in the Saturday Night dance. Plus an interview with Beyonce's Single Ladies c...

Flat Pack Pop: Sweden's Music Miracle

Charting Sweden's remarkable rise as a music superpower. James Ballardie explores the unique Swedish songwriting formula behind some of...

Max Martin: The Hitmaker

A celebration of the Swedish songwriter, record producer and singer for Bank Holiday Monday, presented by Scott Mills.

Episode 5 | The Music Machine: The Technocrats

Karlheinz Stockhausen tells Dick Witts what he thinks of the music of ambient composers Aphex Twin, Plastikman, Scanner and 17...

Episode 4 | The Music Machine: The Technocrats

Through the increasing use of modern technology, the rock music industry is having to re-examine the terms "composer", "produc...

Episode 3 | The Music Machine: The Technocrats

Dick Witts interviews Karlheinz Stockhausen on how technology has changed the role of the composer.

Episode 2 | The Music Machine: The Technocrats

Dick Witts interviews Karlheinz Stockhausen on how technology has changed the role of the composer.

Episode 1 | The Music Machine: The Technocrats

Dick Witts interviews Karlheinz Stockhausen on how technology has changed the role of the composer. Stockhausen's experiments ...

Doctor Who: Regeneration

Radio 2 celebrates the phenomenon of BBC TV's sci-fi adventure series Doctor Who, which transformed Saturday-evening viewing when it returned in Mar...

Doctor Who: A Celebration Concert

A musical odyssey through time and space with highlights and background footage from the Doctor Who - A Celebration concert at the Wales Mi...

Apocalypse Now and Sound Design | Sound of Cinema: The Music that Made the Movies

Neil Brand speaks to Walter Murch about the sound design for ''Apocalypse Now'' and its fam...

''The Birds'' soundtrack | Sound of Cinema: The Music that Made the Movies

Neil Brand explores how not a single orchestral instrument was used to soundtrack Hitchcock's terr...

''Chariots of Fire'' score | Sound of Cinema: The Music that Made the Movies

Neil Brand speaks to composer Vangelis about his famous score from ''Chariots of Fire''; used re...

Theremin in ''Spellbound'' | Sound of Cinema: The Music That Made the Movies

Neil Brand explores Rozsa's use of the theremin in the ''Spellbound'' soundtrack.

Elvis (2022)

Elvis Presley's story seen through the lens of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

2014: Dolly Parton | Glastonbury

Dolly Parton performs a crowd-pleasing set including self-penned classics such as Jolene, Coat of Many Colours, 9 to 5, Islands in the Strea...

Dolly Parton: Here I Am

A landmark film charting the extraordinary life and music of the queen of country, Dolly Parton, with exclusive interviews and archive footage.

Dolly Parton at the BBC

A look back at some of Dolly Parton's finest performances at the BBC, incorporating her greatest moments and hits such as Jolene, 9 to 5, Islands in ...

2010 | Hogmanay

Jackie Bird and Phil Cunningham celebrate Hogmanay with traditional and contemporary singers and the midnight fireworks display over Edinburgh Castle.

Mockery with Monocles: The Western Brothers Revealed

Geoffrey Palmer celebrates the songs of Kenneth and George Western and reveals their place in British comedy.

Count Basie | Dancing through the Blitz: Blackpool's Big Band Story

Jools plays a Count Basie song and explains why simplicity can be better then being over the top.

Dancing through the Blitz: Blackpool's Big Band Story

Documentary film celebrating the big band sound and uncovering the social history behind the music that kept the nation...

Bob Dylan: Verbatim | Archive on 4

The many variations of Bob Dylan's life and music told in his own words, combining rare interviews, studio outtakes, archive and musings.

Bob Dylan - In So Many Words | The Documentary

Marco Werman investigates Bob Dylan's work, weighing the evidence on whether he's a worthy Nobel Literature Prize winner.

Bob Dylan: No Direction Home: Part 2 | Arena

Martin Scorsese continues to explore Bob Dylan's early career. At 23, Dylan confounds expectations and finds a new musical vocab...

Bob Dylan: No Direction Home: Part 1 | Arena

The story of Bob Dylan, directed by Martin Scorsese, from a rock 'n' roll loving kid in the Midwest to his arrival as a major fo...

Bob Dylan: Shadow Kingdom

A showcase of Bob Dylan with his band in an intimate setting as he performs songs from his extensive body of work.

Don't Look Back

DA Pennebaker's classic film about Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of Britain is an intimate portrait of the artist as a quite young and formidably intelligent man.

Bob Dylan - Trouble No More | Arena

A Bob Dylan performance of songs expressing his new-found Christianity in the late 70s, enhanced by a series of sermons between the songs...

S29: The Boxer - Simon & Garfunkel | Soul Music

People who connect directly with the lyrics of Simon & Garfunkel's song discuss what this masterpiece means to them.

Songs of America 1969

Programme featuring footage of Simon and Garfunkel on stage, in the studio and on tour, which also integrates video montages of key events of the turbu...

Simon & Garfunkel: The Harmony Game

Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel and their collaborators look back over what is widely considered their greatest work, Bridge over Troubled Wate...

Sisters in Country: Dolly, Linda and Emmylou

How Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris's careers took off in the 1970s with distinct takes on country, but how they...

Dolly Parton: 50 Years at the Opry

Dolly Parton and star guests, including Lady Antebellum and Hank Williams Jr, celebrate her 50 years as the queen of country.

S01E02: Radio Producer | Hire Me: Competing for a Dream Job

The search is on for a new producer for Radio 1Xtra. The candidates are tasked with interviewing Paul C Brunson a...

Stormzy | Louis Theroux Interviews...

Louis Theroux meets platinum-selling rapper Stormzy for a frank and revealing conversation about his life and career.

Stormzy and Church | Louis Theroux Interviews...

Stormzy takes Louis to church to speak about its inspiration and the effect it had on him growing up.

02: Alright, by Kendrick Lamar | Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America

Making protest music in the era of Black Lives Matter, Alright becomes the unsaid anthem for hope.

Biggie And Tupac (2002)

Nick Broomfield examines the lives and murders of rappers Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur and the rivalry between East Coast and West Coast music that...

The Last Pirates: Britain's Rebel DJs

Rodney P presents the untold story of Britain's second wave of pirate DJs who played a cat and mouse game with the law to create a plat...

Jay Z: Reasonable Doubt | Classic Albums

Brooklyn-born Jay-Z is one of the most successful and creative hip-hop artists of all time. His remarkable rise to fame was heralded...

Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life | Classic Albums

Already firmly established, Stevie Wonder spent over two years making this album. It was finally released in 1976 af...

Respect (2021)

A biographical drama about the life and rise to fame of American soul singer Aretha Franklin.

Drake v Kendrick: The biggest rap feud of all time? | The Global Story

Over recent months rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar have been exchanging diss tracks in a bitter lyric...

Drake v Kendrick Lamar: What's the beef? | What in the World

Two of the biggest names in hip-hop right now, Drake and Kendrick Lamar, are certainly not friends anymore. Thei...

06: Ladies First, by Queen Latifah | Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America

At the height of hip-hop's misogynistic themes, the culture bows down to their queens of rap.

05: The Bridge, by Marley Marl and MC Shan | Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America

A song designed to foster community pride ignites hip-hop's most epic rap battle.

04: Elevators, by Outkast | Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America

Hip-hop's southern voice breaks through with an unsuspecting song that redefines rap's cultural and geograp...

03: Rock Box, by Run-DMC | Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America

How one song tore down the barriers between rock and hip-hop, race and class on American radio and television.

01: Jesus Walks, by Kanye West | Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America

In an era of excess, a Christian rap song challenges the Church and changes ideals about religion and ...

Part 2 | Stevie Wonder's Birthday Celebration

Second of two programmes featuring Stevie Wonder's birthday concert. Joining him on stage are Tears for Fears, Billy Ocean, Asw...

Part 1 | Stevie Wonder's Birthday Celebration

First of two programmes celebrating the birthday of one of the world's greatest musicians. A host of stars help with the musica...

Stevie Wonder: A Whistle Test Extra | Whistle Test Extra

Mark Ellen talks to the legendary Stevie Wonder about his music, politics, collaborations, and what he calls his "in...

Stevie Wonder: Inner Visions | Omnibus

The BBC follows Stevie Wonder on his Inner Visions tour of the USA, and witnesses his performance at the Washington Rally to celebrate...

Experience of living with Jim Crow | Rick Stein Tastes the Blues

Rick heres how some of his Blues heroes grew up under the Jim Crow laws and how they defined the genre itself.

Back to Black (2024)

The life and music of Amy Winehouse, following the development of her unique talent and passion as she became a singular and iconic musician.

Rick Stein Tastes the Blues

Rick Stein pays homage to the Mississippi Delta's blues and to the great dishes that go hand in hand with it, from fried chicken and turnip green...

The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds | Classic Albums

This edition of the series celebrates the 50th anniversary of the release of Brian Wilson's masterpiece, The Beach Boys' album Pe...

Elvis Presley: Elvis Presley | Classic Albums

A look at the creation of Elvis Presley's eponymous debut album, which brought about his meteoric rise to superstardom in 1956....

Amy Winehouse: Back to Black | Classic Albums

Series looking at the creation of some classic rock albums looks at Amy Winehouse's second album, 2006's Back to Black.

Billie Holiday | Icons

Raised in abject poverty, Holiday's unique singing technique saw her become one of the world's great recording artists before she chose to shine a lig...

S01E06: Amy Winehouse | A Life in Ten Pictures

Amy Winehouse's image is known around the world. But just a handful of iconic shots and private snaps reveal a new story: an e...

Amy Winehouse - The Day She Came to Dingle | Arena

Documentary telling the story of the day Amy Winehouse recorded a stunning acoustic performance in a church in the small I...

Amy Winehouse | Later... with Jools Holland

Jools takes a look back at one of the world's most iconic artists of the 21st century, celebrating her short yet remarkable career.

2007: Amy Winehouse | Glastonbury

Amy Winehouse performs twice in one day at the festival in 2007, taking to the Pyramid Stage in the afternoon followed by an evening set on...

Amy Winehouse | BBC One Sessions

Another chance to see a 23-year-old Amy Winehouse at Porchester Hall where, hot from her triumph at the 2007 Brits, she gave a special one-o...

Amy Winehouse in Her Own Words

Portrait of Amy Winehouse through interviews and performances, some previously unseen. Including Glastonbury, Later...with Jools Holland and t...

Reclaiming Amy

Marking the ten-year anniversary of the death of Amy Winehouse, her closest family and friends, including mum Janis and dad Mitch, reveal the truth about the ...

Dockery Farm and Blues music | Arena

Charlie Patton is considered to be the forefather of the Delta blues and worked on a plantation known as Dockery Farm.

How Pop Songs Work

Conductor Charles Hazlewood hosts a celebration of the magic of pop music and explores the skill and musical dexterity that goes into writing, performing ...

Queen: A Night at the Opera | Classic Albums

A Night At The Opera, the fourth Queen album released in late 1975, is a mix of hard rock, pop, opera, music hall camp and tradi...

Yesterday (2019)

Following a road accident, struggling singer-songwriter Jack Malik wakes up in an alternative reality where no-one seems to have ever heard of The Beatles. ...

David Bowie | Icons

David Bowie landed on the London music scene and, with the help of Ziggy Stardust, transformed it at once giving rise to an army of young, previously dis...

Elvis (2022)

Elvis Presley's story seen through the lens of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

S02E05: 1968 | The Rock 'n' Roll Years

The news and music of 1968 as flower power fades and a new era of protest is ushered in. The Vietcong mounts the Tet Offensive, France...

Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon | Classic Albums

This edition looks at the legendary Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon with interviews with Roger Waters, David Gi...

S01E08: 1963 | The Rock 'n' Roll Years

Prog connects the years events with its music via newsreels,headlines,movies,bro adcasts & rock performance

John Lennon at the BBC | 6 Music Stories

Liza Tarbuck explores the BBC's archive of John Lennon's work, from his earliest days with The Beatles to his final interview, recor...

The Paul McCartney Special | TOTP2

Paul McCartney introduces the best of his solo work, including Band on the Run and Live and Let Die.

02: The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour | Arena

Fully restored and with a remixed soundtrack, 'The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour comes out of the shadows and onto the screen.

John Lennon Special | TOTP2

Steve Wright presents a mixture of pop nostalgia and music, celebrating the late John Lennon.

Peter Gabriel: So | Classic Albums

With the release of So in 1986, Peter Gabriel achieved a level of success that had thus far eluded him. Gabriel famously started out leadi...

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours | Classic Albums

This programme considers the significance of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland | Classic Albums

In 1968, with his career at a crossroads, Jimi Hendrix went to New York to record this album. It was to be th...

Paul Simon: Graceland | Classic Albums

This edition looks at how Paul Simon's Graceland made an enormous impact with its blend of rock and African rhythms.

S04E02: 1982 | The Rock 'n' Roll Years

2nd in series which takes a chronological look at the news, music and events of the eighties. This week the year is 1982.

S03E01: 1972 | The Rock 'n' Roll Years

A prog which connects the year's news events with its music, using news rep , headlines, & pop music performances

S03E02: 1973 | The Rock 'n' Roll Years

A mix of rock music from 1973 with news coverage of events from same year & other happenings.

S01E01: 1956 | The Rock 'n' Roll Years

First prog in new series connecting the year's events with its music via news- reels; headlines; movies; broadcasts & rock performance...

Grazing in the Grass | Hugh Masekela: Welcome to South Africa

A performance from South-african musician Hugh Masekela's 70th birthday concert at the Barbican in London in De...

Brinca de Vivre | Hugh Masekela: Welcome to South Africa

A performance from South-african musician Hugh Masekela's 70th birthday concert at the Barbican in London in Decembe...

Carnival and Samba Schools | Huey Morgan's Latin Music Adventure

Samba schools, each representing a different neighborhood, compete in formal parades during Carnival. Mangue...

The Arrival of Bob Marley on the UK Reggae Scene | Reggae Britannia

Very little was known about Jamican music in Britain before the launch of The Wailers album Catch a Fire,...

Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika | Hugh Masekela: Welcome to South Africa

A performance from South-african musician Hugh Masekela's 70th birthday concert at the Barbican in London in ...

Lizzy | Hugh Masekela: Welcome to South Africa

A performance from South-african musician Hugh Masekela's 70th birthday concert at the Barbican in London in December 2009, wh...

The First UK Reggae Number One | Reggae Britannia

Israelites' by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, was the first reggae song to reach number 1 in the UK charts.

Reggae's Influence on Punk | Reggae Britannia

A new musical aligment was taking place that would radically change reggae's impact and acceptance in Britrain, almost overnight.

Panjabi MC_ Bhangra Goes Mainstream | Pump Up The Bhangra: The Sound of Asian Britain

Mundian to Bach Ke is the most recognisible bhangra song. It went straight in to number...

Bossa Nova and the Brazilian middle class | Brasil Brasil

Bossa Nova, meaning 'New Wave', reflected the new-found optimism inside Brazil during the 1950s and appealed to Bra...

Paul Simon: Graceland | Classic Albums

This edition looks at how Paul Simon's Graceland made an enormous impact with its blend of rock and African rhythms.

Paul Simon's Graceland - Under African Skies | imagine...

Did Paul Simon's unique collaboration with South Africa's township musicians set back the clock of South African li...

Anoushka Shankar | What Do Artists Do All Day?

Documentary examining the work of renowned sitar player Anoushka Shankar as she composes the score to a restoration of a 1920s...

The Pioneers of Bossa Nova | Brasil Brasil

Singer Joao Gilberto, Composer Antonio Carlos Jobim and the poet Vinicius de Moraes are considered to be the founders of bossa nov...

The Origins of Steel Pan_ Tamboo Bamboo | The World About Us: King Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago

Tamboo bamboo is a percussion instrument from Trinidad, which is precursor...

The Invention of the Steel Pan Drum | The World About Us: King Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago

The steel pan drum is geniously contrived from an industrial oil drum.

South African Music Genres | The African Rock 'n' Roll Years

An introduction to smusical genres distinct to South Africa.

Mbaqanga | The African Rock 'n' Roll Years

Mahlathini became the 'King of Mbaqanga', a type of South African music developed from jazz.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Gracelands | The African Rock 'n' Roll Years

Joseph Shabalala and his group sang iscathamiya, a Zulu unaccompanied harmony style. When Paul Simon...

Ska, Rocksteady and Reggae | Roots, Reggae, Rebellion

Akala visits reggae artist and basist Robbie Shakespeare to find out the musical differences between ska, rocksteady an...