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Portrait Of Erik Satie and cover of score for Parade

The best (and strangest) pieces of music by Erik Satie

Historical figures you didn’t know were musicians: Albert Einstein, Jane Austen, Queen Elizabeth I

10 historical figures you didn’t know were classically trained musicians

12-year-old Anisa plays in The Piano

‘She’s a star’: virtuosic 12-year-old pianist stuns The Piano judges in Liverpool Street station

Soprano Lesley Garrett sings Bizet’s ‘Habanera’ in dramatic shopping centre flashmob

Soprano Lesley Garrett sings Bizet’s ‘Habanera’ in dramatic shopping centre flashmob

Lesley Garrett

Flight attendant plays ‘Over the Rainbow’ on violin to passengers on US flight

United Airlines flight attendant plays ‘Over the Rainbow’ violin solo on busy flight

Discover the greatest classical music

10 pieces of classical music that will 100% change your life

10 pieces of classical music that will 100% change your life

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

From Mozart to Elgar: the best pieces of classical music for beginners

15 timeless pieces to begin your journey into classical music

The 20 best operas of all time, according to Classic FM presenters.

The 20 greatest operas ever written

The best classical music playlists to suit your every mood

The best classical music playlists to suit your every mood

Periods & Genres

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Renaissance

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Film & TV

Music Theory

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Why do pianos have 88 keys?

Why does a piano have 88 keys?

Why the Severance theme music is so terrifyingly catchy

Why the Severance theme music is so terrifyingly catchy

Pachelbel’s Canon in D is one of the most famous canons

What is a canon?

What are microtones in music?

What are microtones in music?

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande sing 'Defying Gravity' at the 97th Oscars

We break down Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s Oscars duet from a classical music perspective

Humour

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Brass players delight passengers with impromptu ‘The Bare Necessities’ on aeroplane

Brass players delight passengers with impromptu ‘The Bare Necessities’ on aeroplane

Videos

Steven Spielberg, Bill Clinton and Tina Fey all played in their school orchestras

11 famous figures you never knew could play a musical instrument

Guest conductor, Tim Schultheis, truly came to sleigh at this orchestral concert...

Audience member conducts ‘Sleigh Ride’, stealing the show in joyful moment

Videos

Cat piano prodigy surprises owner with tuneful solo.

Owner catches her cat playing the piano, with surprising virtuosity…

Peter Schickele Beethoven 5 parody

PDQ Bach delivered the ultimate classical music and sport parody in this Beethoven performance

Beethoven

Women in Music

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Exclusive
First female musician in New York Philharmonic ‘said no’ to Oscar-winning documentary

First female musician in New York Philharmonic ‘said no’ at first to Oscar-winning film about her life

New York Phil

Doreen Carwithen is known as the world’s first full-time female film composer

Meet Doreen Carwithen, the world’s first fully-professional female film composer

Saint Cecilia Playing The Organ.

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

Women in Music

Who is Toshiko Akiyoshi? Meet the Japanese pianist and composer who transformed jazz music

Who is Toshiko Akiyoshi? Meet the Japanese pianist and composer who transformed jazz music

Four women conductors lead the Met Opera in one week – in historic first

Four women conductors lead the Met Opera in one week – in historic first

New York Metropolitan Opera

Quizzes

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Can you answer these quiz questions using just the musical notes?

Can you answer these quiz questions using just music notes?

Lifestyle

Are you smarter than a musical 18-year-old? Find out below...

Can you answer these A-Level music questions? Find out if you would pass first time...

Lifestyle

Are you smarter than a 16-year-old? Find out below...

Can you answer these GCSE Music questions? Find out if you would pass first time...

Lifestyle

Who are Sideshow Bob and Bugs Bunny playing in these operatic parodies...

Can you guess the opera these cartoon characters are singing?

Lifestyle

What song did Olivia Olson sing in Love Actually? Take our quiz if you know the answer...

The Ultimate Christmas Movie Music Quiz

Lifestyle

Discover music features

What are the lyrics to the hymn ‘Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer’?

What are the lyrics to the hymn ‘Guide me, O thou great Redeemer’?

Anna Lapwood conducts the Leeds Lieder festival

Who is Anna Lapwood? The trailblazing organist and conductor’s age, biography and performances

Juventino Rosas and Johann Strauss

This waltz falsely attributed to Strauss is actually by indigenous Mexican composer Juventino Rosas

Felix Mendelssohn was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period.

10 of Felix Mendelssohn’s greatest works

Mendelssohn

10 beautiful pieces of classical music for Mother’s Day

10 beautiful pieces of classical music for Mother’s Day

Wigmore Hall partners with Classic FM to offer £5 tickets for under 35s

Classic FM’s £5 tickets for under-35 audiences at Wigmore Hall – explore upcoming dates

What is happening at the Kennedy Center and why are musicians cancelling US concerts?

What is happening at the Kennedy Center and why are musicians cancelling US concerts?

Irish NASA astronaut plays 100-year-old Irish flute while floating in outer space

NASA astronaut plays 100-year-old Irish flute while floating in outer space

Did you know the Duchess of Kent secretly taught music at a primary school for 13 years?

When the Duchess of Kent went undercover as a primary school music teacher for 13 years

Renowned Masters of the King’s and Queen’s Music: Elgar, Errollyn Wallen, Nicholas Lanier

10 renowned Masters of the King’s and Queen’s Music

Ewan McGregor played the French horn on national TV aged 16

When 16-year-old Ewan McGregor played a French horn solo on national TV

Videos

What is an aria, and how is it different from a song? (Pictured: Nadine Sierra performing at a ball, and in Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet)

What is an aria, and how is it different from a song?

Hear Amanda Seyfried play enchanting Joni Mitchell song on the dulcimer, a 19th-century instrument

Hear Amanda Seyfried play enchanting Joni Mitchell song on the dulcimer, a 19th-century instrument

Videos

Figure skater Isabella Aparicio performs poignant routine to her father Luciano’s ‘Pachelbel’s Canon’ recording

16-year-old figure skater performs to late father’s ‘Pachelbel’s Canon’ in heart-breaking tribute

Maurice Ravel is one of the greatest French composers who ever lived.

The 10 best pieces of music by Ravel

Ravel

Jeneba Kanneh-Mason plays Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2 at Classic FM Live

Who is Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, the rising star British pianist?

Instruments

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Discover music

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This extraordinary glass violin is so accurate that you can actually play it

Japanese glassblowers create the world’s first playable glass violin

6 days ago

Violin played in heartbreaking ‘Titanic’ scene to be sold for £60,000 at auction

Violin played in heartbreaking ‘Titanic’ film scene to be sold for £60,000 at auction

7 days ago

Violinist sings soulful ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ duet with himself in epic encore

Violinist sings soulful ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ duet with himself in epic encore

9 days ago

Ralph Fiennes to direct his first opera in Paris' magnificent Palais Garnier

Ralph Fiennes to direct his first opera in Paris’ magnificent Palais Garnier

12 days ago

Tchaikovsky

King Charles plays ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ on a carrot at Windsor Castle

King Charles plays ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ on a carrot at Windsor Castle

12 days ago

High blood pressure can lessen your response to classical music

High blood pressure can lessen your response to classical music, new study finds

12 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

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Classic FM Video Game Music

Essential Classical

Classic FM’s Baby Bedtime

Classic FM Revision

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Latest on Classic FM

Classic FM Live returns to the Royal Albert Hall for a movie music special

Classic FM Live returns to the Royal Albert Hall for a movie music special in April 2025

Events

Orchestras call on government to reform streaming laws

Orchestral musicians unite to demand UK government reforms streaming royalties

93% of children are excluded from arts education due to a lack of funding in state schools, a new report says.

93% of schoolchildren excluded from arts due to lack of funding, new report says

Jennifer Coolidge, Aubrey Plaza, Sydney Sweeney and Brittany O’Grady star in HBO’s hit series, The White Lotus.

White Lotus soundtrack: who wrote it and why is the theme so unsettling?

Anna Lapwood joins Classic FM to host new mini-series

Acclaimed organist and TikTok star Anna Lapwood joins Classic FM to host new mini-series

Four violins hanging in a shop

California violin thief who stole $300k of violins and bows sentenced to four years in prison
Ed Sheeran performs at old school after making £250m music education plea to Keir Starmer

Ed Sheeran performs at old school after making £250m music education plea to Keir Starmer

Music Education

Young penguin steals the show with Puccini in Happy Feet Two

When a tiny penguin sang Puccini’s impassioned ‘E lucevan le stelle’ in Happy Feet Two

Puccini

Hans Zimmer is interviewed by Jonathan Ross in a Classic FM at the Movies special.

Hans Zimmer says the Lion King score was a requiem for his late father

Zimmer

Former Les Mis star performs surprise ‘On My Own’ in Covent Garden busking spot

Former Les Mis star performs surprise ‘On My Own’ in Covent Garden busking spot

Videos