Classical Music: Did you mean...?

The ancient Greek city-states were in a constant rivalry for land, resources and power which meant that warfare became an ever-present aspect of life. Athens and Sparta were famous rivals throughout the Classical period...

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) was the leading French composer of Romantic music, best known for his innovative Symphonie fantastique and use of large-scale orchestras and choruses in works like The Trojans opera. Berlioz's innovative...

Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) was an Italian composer best known for his operas La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot. Puccini drew inspiration from a wide range of literary sources, and his late Romantic music with its...

This painting from the Tomb of Nebamun (c. 1350 BCE) shows women making music and other almost naked women dancing.

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was an Italian violin virtuoso and composer of baroque music (c. 1600-1750). Best known for his violin concertos, notably The Four Seasons, Vivaldi made a significant contribution to the evolution of...

Richard Wagner (1813-1883) was a German composer of Romantic music most famous for his epic operas like The Ring, Tannhäuser, and Tristan and Isolde. Wagner was concerned throughout his career with the theme of redemption through...

Close-up of a red-figure vase painting depicting a music lesson. In this section, two men play music while a boy and cat (alternately identified as a young panther) sit on the side. Attributed to "The Agrigento Painter"...

In Ancient Egyptian society, both dance and music were highly valued. They were integral to creation and communication with the gods and there was an intrinsic link between music and dance and the divine. The goddess...

A page of sheet music for the Christmas carol The Holly and the Ivy. From a 1926 issue of the Radio Times magazine.

An 1862 oil on canvas painting, Music in the Tuileries Gardens, by Edouard Manet (1832-83), the French modernist painter. This work has often been called the first modern painting since it broke the artistic...