Tom Service explores the world of brass bands. Read more
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Brass Bands
Tom Service explores the world of brass bands.
Playing Second Fiddle (and Horn and Trumpet...)
The joys and frustrations of being the unsung heroes of the orchestral world.
How to listen to... Gilbert and Sullivan
Tom Service enters the topsy-turvy world of Gilbert and Sullivan.
Money Makes the Music Go Round
Tom Service explores the relationship between money and music.
Themes and Variations
Tom Service explores the endless potential of musical variations on a theme.
Fiddles and Fiddle Tunes
Tom Service explores fiddles and fiddle tunes from around the world.
How to listen to... Arvo Pärt
Tom explores Arvo Pärt's music - what makes it so unique and why is it so popular?
Out of Tune
Tom Service asks what it really means to be in tune? In tune with what - or who?
Eat to the Beat
The many long-standing and sometimes surprising connections between food and music.
The timeless power of contemporary choral music
Tom Service immerses himself in the resonant sound world of 21st-century choral music.
Klezmer
Tom Service explores the connections between Klezmer and classical music.
The Borrowers
Is using someone else's music in your own big and clever?
How to listen to...Erik Satie
Tom Service explores the musical universe of Erik Satie.
Handel's Messiah: Hallelujah!
Tom Service lifts the lid on Handel's Messiah.
Playing at sight and playing from memory
Tom Service flexes his musical memory muscles whilst also improving his sight reading.
Making Overtures
Tom Service explores the rise and fall of the musical curtain-raiser.
Dancing about Architecture
Is writing about music really like dancing about architecture?
Recorders
Tom Service explores the music and mystery of that schooldays favourite - the recorder.
Classical Crossover
Tom Service turns his ears to a musical world where classical and pop converge.
John Williams - the Force of Music!
Tom Service has a close encounter with the film music of John Williams.
Finishing the Hat
Tom Service explores the lyrics and legacy of musical theatre composer Stephen Sondheim.
Song Cycles and Concept Albums
Tom Service explores the connections between song cycles and concept albums.
What's in a Name?
Tom Service on the often baffling language of classical music naming and numbering.
The Musical Recycling Plant
From composers to composters: how and why do composers re-use their own music?
Can music be funny?
Tom Service on the art of classical music comedy. And it's not necessarily about timing.
Royal Music
Music fit for kings, queens, princes and princesses: but what do we mean by royal music?
What's the point of cadenzas?
Tom Service explores cadenzas with the American pianist Jeremy Denk at the Hay Festival.
The Music of Sound
Tom Service on the mutually creative relationship between music and its surroundings.
TV Themes
Tom Service explores television themes with Oscar-winning composer Anne Dudley.
Abracadabra
Tom Service explores the connections between music and magic.
The Enchantment of Chant
Tom explores how chant has resonated across a thousand years of music.