Lyrics

What are the lyrics to Morocco’s national anthem, the Cherifian Anthem, and who wrote it?

What are the lyrics to Morocco’s national anthem, the Cherifian Anthem, and who wrote it?

Colombia's players sing the national anthem at the Women's World Cup in Australia, 2023

What are the lyrics to Colombia’s national anthem and when was it written?

What are the lyrics to ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’, and what is its history?

What are the lyrics to ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’, and what is its history?

Players and staff of Slovenia celebrate after the team's victory in the UEFA EURO 2024 European qualifier match between Slovenia and Kazakhstan on November 20, 2023 in Slovenia.

What are the lyrics to Slovenia’s national anthem?

Players of Albania celebrate after the UEFA EURO 2024 European qualifier match between Albania and Czechia on October 12, 2023 in Tirana, Albania.

What are the lyrics to Albania’s national anthem?

Mario Gavranovic of Switzerland celebrates after scoring their side’s third goal during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Round between France and Switzerland in 2021.

What are the lyrics to Switzerland’s national anthem, the ‘Swiss Psalm’?

George Frideric Handel composed ‘Zadok The Priest’ in 1727

What are the lyrics to Handel’s ‘Zadok The Priest’?

Handel

The Champions League Trophy and the Choir of Westminster Abbey

What is the Champions League music and what are the lyrics to the football anthem?

Beethoven's great choral anthem is based on a poem by Friedrich Schiller

What are the lyrics to ‘Ode to Joy’ from Beethoven’s Symphony No.9?

Beethoven

Andrea Bocelli and Céline Dion sing 'The Prayer' at the 1999 Grammy Awards

What are the lyrics to ‘The Prayer’ sung by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion?

London Concert Orchestra performs ‘Rule, Britannia!’ at a Christmas-New Year concert at Birmingham Symphony Hall

What are the lyrics to ‘Rule Britannia’ and who composed it?

Choir of King's College Cambridge rehearse for the Christmas Eve service broadcast around the world

In Dulci Jubilo: what are the lyrics to the Christmas carol?

What are the lyrics to ‘O Come O Come Emmanuel’?

What are the lyrics to ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’, and what is the Christmas carol really about?

Christmas

From Mary Had a Little Lamb to Humpty Dumpty - the best nursery rhymes

10 best nursery rhymes ever written

Once in Royal David's City

What are the lyrics to ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ – and who composed it?

Christmas

O Holy Night

What are the lyrics to ‘O Holy Night’, in French and English?

Christmas

Mary had a little lamb

What are the lyrics to ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’, the popular nursery rhyme?

What are the lyrics to Brahms’ ‘Cradle Song’, the most famous lullaby ever written?

What are the lyrics to Brahms’ famous ‘Lullaby’, and what’s the story behind it?

Brahms

'Frère Jacques' is a popular French nursery rhyme

What are the lyrics to French nursery rhyme ‘Frère Jacques’, and who was he?

Argentinian team sing their national anthem at a rugby test match in Chaco, Argentina

What are the Argentina national anthem lyrics, and why is there a shorter version?

A depiction of Jesus holding a lamb

What are the lyrics to ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’ and who wrote the hymn?

India players stand to sing the national anthem at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka

What are the lyrics to India’s national anthem?

Juan Manuel Cat, Santiago Civetta, Manuel Leindekar, Santiago Arata and Gaston Mieres of Uruguay sing the national anthem prior to the Rugby World Cup 2019

What are the lyrics to Uruguay’s national anthem?

Alicia Keys performs Lift Every Voice and Sing

What are the lyrics to ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’, and what is the song’s history?

Bangladesh cricket players line up to sing the National Anthem ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup

What are the lyrics to Bangladesh’s national anthem?

‘Auld Lang Syne’ was written by Scottish poet Robert Burns, and is usually sung to fireworks on New Year’s Eve

What are the lyrics to Auld Lang Syne, and what does Auld Lang Syne actually mean?

St Paul’s Cathedral Choir sing ‘Jerusalem’

What are the lyrics to the hymn ‘Jerusalem’ and who composed it?

Parry

Portrait of Edward Elgar (1857-1934)

What are the lyrics to ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ and what do they mean?

Elgar

Australia players sing their national anthem at The Cup of Nations (2019)

What are the lyrics to Australia’s national anthem, ‘Advance Australia Fair’?

Pavarotti sings the powerful Turandot aria, ‘Nessun Dorma’

What are the lyrics to Puccini’s ‘Nessun dorma’ and what do they mean?

Puccini

Who wrote Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and what are the full lyrics of the popular lullaby?

Who wrote Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and what are the full lyrics of the popular lullaby?

Danny Boy: what are the lyrics and history behind the traditional Irish song?

Danny Boy: what are the lyrics and history behind the traditional Irish song?

Germany sing the national anthem at UEFA Womens Euro 2022 Final at Wembley Stadium

What are the lyrics to the German national anthem, and did they change after World War II?

2018 Rugby Autumn Internationals Ireland v USA Nov 24th

What are the lyrics to the Irish national anthem – and why does Ireland have two anthems?

The lyrics and history of the popular hymn 'Amazing Grace'

What are the lyrics to ‘Amazing Grace’, the traditional hymn?

New Zealand sing the national anthem before the Cup Final of the Women's Sydney Sevens Rugby (2020)

New Zealand national anthem: what are the lyrics to ‘God Defend New Zealand’?

French flag

What are the lyrics to the French National Anthem, La Marseillaise – and what do they mean?

Discover music

See more Discover music

Vote for your all-time favourite Christmas carol in The Nation’s Favourite Carol 2024.

Vote for your favourite Christmas carol in The Nation’s Favourite Carol with Viking 2024

38 mins ago

Christmas

‘Wicked’ star Cynthia Erivo spoke to Zeb Soanes about preparing to sing ‘Defying Gravity’ as Elphaba.

Cynthia Erivo underwent ‘cardiovascular conditioning’ to play Elphaba in ‘Wicked’

3 days ago

Ophélie Gaillard’s 300-year-old cello has been stolen for a second time

French cellist reunited with rare €1.3 million cello following home burglary

3 days ago

Saint Cecilia Playing The Organ.

Who was St Cecilia? Meet the patron saint of music and musicians

3 days ago

Women in Music

Ilona Schmiel, leader of the Tonhalle Orchestra, Zurich.

Why do orchestras have ‘leaders’ and what do they do?

4 days ago

Hayato Sumino plays Bolero on two pianos.

Viral virtuoso Hayato Sumino plays Boléro on two pianos

6 days ago

Best classical music

See more Best classical music

The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

Best symphonies: Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonin Dvorak and Florence Price

The 15 greatest symphonies of all time

4 eras of classical music

The 4 eras of classical music: a quick guide

A young Marin Alsop, Sir Simon Rattle, and Seiji Ozawa conduct their respective orchestras.

The 25 greatest conductors of all time

Hildegard von Bingen, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Edward Elgar among the greatest composers in classical music history.

The 30 greatest classical music composers of all time

Classic FM Live Playlists

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Classic FM Hall of Fame

Essential Classical

Classic FM Video Game Music

Classic FM Pet Classics

Classic FM’s Baby Bedtime

Classic FM Revision

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Latest on Classic FM

Young Persons guide trilogy

‘The Very Young Person’s Guide to Christmas Carols’: the perfect Christmas gift!

Britten as a Boy

Composer Benjamin Britten to be honoured with a statue outside his childhood home

Britten

Cellist serenades chickens with ‘L’heure exquise’ at 18th-century English farmhouse

Cellist serenades chickens with a French love song at 18th-century English farmhouse

Videos

Denzel Washington speaks to Dan Walker about his role as Macrinus in Gladiator II, plus his favourite classical music.

Gladiator II star Denzel Washington on classical music: ‘Bocelli’s my boy!’

Gladiator 2 soundtrack: who composed it and which themes feature?

Everything you need to know about the soundtrack to Gladiator II

Gregson-Williams

Yuja Wang plays a piano with three pedals – but what are they for?

Why does a piano have three pedals, and what do they do?

Einaudi surprised the crowd at St Pancras.

Einaudi surprises commuters with train station piano performance

Einaudi

From Elgar to Ivor Gurney – explore reflective pieces of classical music for Remembrance Day

15 reflective pieces of classical music for Remembrance Day

Here’s why Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is an unassailably epic work of genius

Here’s why Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is an unassailably epic work of genius

Rachmaninov

Chopin

A new piece by Chopin has been discovered after almost 200 years

Chopin