Mozart best for council calls on hold

23 September 2013, 11:49

Councils have worked out classical music is best for keeping us calm when we're stuck on hold - with Mozart's music coming out on top across the UK.

Symphony No. 40 and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik are among the most popular pieces of music to hear on call to local councils. Data collected from 120 councils revealed Mozart was the most popular composer to be played to keep callers calm on the phone, along with music by Debussy, Handel and Strauss.

Director of the Royal College of Music Colin Lawson isn't surprised to see the Austrian composer's music making its mark in councils throughout the country.
 
"Mozart can be listened to at so many different levels" he said. "The Mozart phenomenon is an extraordinary thing.
 
"You can have Mozart-themed chocolate, ski holidays, tours - he seems to have a particular resonance for the troubled 21st century."

He added: "Symphony No 40 has got a certain passion to it. There is a lot to it and a lot of angst. But it is not the whole piece that people recognise, or that it is famous for. It is just the introduction."