Music

Simon Russell Beale takes a journey through Italy, Britain, Germany and Austria as he explores how the sound of Christmas has evolved in response to changing ideas about the Nativity. His story takes us through two millennia of music, from a fragment of papyrus preserving the earliest known piece of Christian music to the stories behind Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night and In the Bleak Midwinter, and the work of popular Christmas composer, John Rutter. Music is performed by Harry Christophers and his choir, The Sixteen.

BBC Radio 6 Music DJ Huey Morgan dives into the unique sounds of three countries - Puerto Rico, Brazil and Cuba - on a quest to understand Latin music's enduring appeal.

Suzy Klein explores the extent to which classical music played a significant role in shaping British identity and patriotism in the 18th century.

Johnny Marr's set at the 6 Music Festival 2022 from Cardiff.

With a diverse set of hosts from all facets of music and pop culture, A Year in Music examines each year from a unique perspective. Not only does A Year in Music dive into the year's biggest band albums, breakups and breakthroughs, but also the political and social relevance of the time. Each episode puts the year's relevance in a bigger context of its overall effect on music.

GREENWICH VILLAGE: MUSIC THAT DEFINED A GENERATION is a feature-length documentary about the Greenwich Village music scene and how it sparked everlasting political, social and cultural changes. For the first time, the greatest singer-songwriters, authors and performers from Greenwich Village reflect on how they collectively became the voice of a generation. Through poignant interviews, rare archival footage and new live performances, GREENWICH VILLAGE: MUSIC THAT DEFINED A GENERATION tells a story about community, courage and most importantly – music.

Howard Goodall traces the story of music from the ancient world to the modern day BBC2 has a late Christmas present for Goodall fans: six hours of him, charting the entire history of how the complex beast we now call music came to be. Every other modern presenter would fly around Europe at licence-payers’ expense to do links in lovely places — not Goodall. He stays in a sparse studio explaining why Pérotin, Guido of Arezzo and Dunstaple were great innovators and demonstrating triads on his keyboard. He thinks subject matter is more important than presentation. He’s right.

Series looking at the revolution in 20th century music.

A special reversion of Howard Goodall's Story of Music that provides a unique resource for schools. The series traces the story of music from 32,000 BC to present day.