Soul Music

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**Soul Music**

Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact.

Latest Episodes:

Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar Jul 09, 2013

Show notes

Written by Joaquin Rodrigo in 1939, the Concierto de Aranjuez is a guitar classic.

He wrote it amid the chaos of the Spanish Civil War, and in circumstances of poverty and personal tragedy.

How has it touched and changed people's lives?

The composer's daughter Cecilia Rodrigo explains how the blind composer was inspired by the fountains and gardens of the palace of Aranjuez. Nelício Faria de Sales recounts an unforgettable performance deep inside one of Brazil's largest caves.

David B Katague remembers how the piece got him through a difficult period of separation from his family in the Philippines.

Guitarist Craig Ogden explains the magic of the piece for a performer.

Actor Simon Callow recalls how hearing the piece was a formative experience for him during his schooldays, when it turned rural Berkshire into a piece of Spain.

Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact

Producer: Melvin Rickarby

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2013.

Lili Marlene Jul 03, 2013

Show notes

Stories of love, loss and friendship through the Second World War favourite, Lili Marlene.

She was made famous by Marlene Dietrich - with songs sung by soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact

Producer: Maggie Ayre.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2013.

Shipbuilding Mar 08, 2013

Show notes

Written by Elvis Costello and Clive Langer for Robert Wyatt, Shipbuilding was recorded in several versions by Elvis Costello himself, Suede, June Tabor, Hue and Cry, Tamsin Archer and The Unthanks.

The blend of subtle lyrics and extraordinary music makes this a political song like no other. It transcends the particular circumstances of its writing: the Falklands War and the decline of British heavy industry, especially ship-building.

Clive and Elvis describe how the song was written in 1982 and how legendary jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player, Chet Baker, came to perform on Costello's version.

Philosopher Richard Ashcroft wants the song, which he sees as a kind of secular hymn, played at his funeral because it gives a perfect expression of how he believes we should think about life. Not being able to feel the emotion of the song would, he feels, be like being morally tone-deaf. If you don't like this song, he'd find it hard to be your friend.

The song's achingly beautiful final couplet about "diving for pearls" makes former MP Alan Johnson cry. It's also inspired an oral history and migrant integration project in Glasgow. Chris Gourley describes how the participants found a way to overcome their lack of English and communicate through a shared understanding of ship-building practice.

Other contributors include Hopi Sen, a political blogger who was an unusually political child, and the Mercury Prize winning folk group The Unthanks. They toured their version to towns with ship-building connections as part of a live performance of a film tracing the history of British ship-building using archive footage.

Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact

Producer: Natalie Steed

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2013.

Pergolesi's Stabat Mater Feb 26, 2013

Show notes

The Stabat Mater's imagines the sufferings of the Virgin Mary at the foot of the cross, and Pergolesi's 18th-century setting remains a choral favourite.

Pam Self tells the moving story of how this piece unites her and her friend Helen Vaughan, both during life and after.

Soprano Catherine Bott reflects on the piece's themes.

The Stabat Mater has been reinterpreted many times over the years: Sasha Lazard recalls singing it in the school choir, before later taking the melody and transforming it into a dance version for her album 'The Myth of Red' rechristening it 'Stabat Mater IXXI' in the wake of the September 11th attacks.

Victor Alcantara also sang it as a boy, before returning to the piece as an adult and transforming it into a jazz opus.

Composer and Conductor Paul Spicer examines the musical tensions in the piece, likening its opening to "a heartbeat."

Professor Anthony DelDonna recalls a performance of the Stabat Mater in his hometown of Naples, and reflects on the moment which reaffirmed his his faith.

Producer: Toby Field

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2013.

She Moved Through The Fair Feb 19, 2013

Show notes

The Irish traditional song She Moved Through The Fair is well loved and well recorded by many.

To some it is a ghost story that tells of unfulfilled longings and of hopes and aspirations cut short.

Sinead O' Connor and other fans talk about the haunting beauty of this ancient song and of why its imagery is carved into their souls.

Featuring:

Sinead O'Connor Catriona Crowe Bernie Warren David Johnston.

Producer: Maggie Ayre

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2013.

Beethoven's Fifth Symphony Feb 12, 2013

Show notes

More than just 'da da da dum!

Beethoven's 5th Symphony accompanied Sir Robin Knox-Johnston on the regular Bombay to Basra route he sailed during his early days in the Merchant Navy.

Archaeologist and crime novelist, Dana Cameron, spent many a long day in a dark, lonely basement analysing artefacts from a merchant's house in Salem, Massachusetts. A CD player was often her only companion and Beethoven's 5th buoyed her through these arduous days working towards her PhD

And for conductor, Christopher Gayford, it was the piece which provided a breakthrough in his musical life.

Recalling the time he spent rehearsing it with the Sheffield Youth Orchestra - for a tour in East Germany - he describes the build up to one of the most memorable performances of his career.

Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact.

Producer: Karen Gregor

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2013.

Peggy Lee's Is That All There Is? Feb 08, 2013

Show notes

‘Is That All There Is?’, a Leiber & Stoller song made famous by Peggy Lee, is based upon a short story by Thomas Mann called 'Disillusionment'. But those who know and love it feel it's inspirational rather than a cynical, world weary musical take on existentialism and the futility of life.

‘Soul Music’ uncovers the compelling individual stories behind our collective love of music.

Producer: Maggie Ayre

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2013.

Bach's St Matthew Passion Oct 09, 2012

Show notes

Bach's St Matthew Passion was written in 1727 and was probably first performed as part of the Good Friday Service at Thomaskirche in Leipzig.

This programme explores ways in which Bach's St Mattew Passion touches and changes people's lives.

Guitarist Andrew Schulman describes what happened when he was played this music whilst he was in a coma. James Jacobs talks about the St Matthew Passion providing solace in difficult times during childhood.

And singer Emma Kirkby, conductor Paul Spicer and musical historian Simon Heighes explore how the music works and what it's like to perform.

Producer: Rosie Boulton.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.

Brothers in Arms Oct 08, 2012

Show notes

An exploration into the enduring appeal of the Dire Straits classic, Brothers in Arms.

Although thought to have been written by Mark Knopfler in response to the Falklands war in the mid 1980's, it's a piece that people now associate with many other conflicts; military, personal and social.

Bass player, John Illsley explains why it remains such a special piece for Dire Straits.

Marines chaplain, Nigel Beardsley, recalls the important part it's played in the lives of so many soldiers in Iran and Afghanistan and why it's now often heard at military funerals.

Irish playwright, Sam Millar describes why he based a very personal play around the song.

Snuffy Walden, music director of the hit American TV show, The West Wing, talks about how the series writer, Aaron Sorkin insisted on it being used in its entirety during a crucial episode.

Professor Alan Moore of Surrey University explains how it's Knopfler's brilliant use of harmony that gives the song the sense of yearning that has made it into one of the most enduring pop songs of the last century.

Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal.

Producer: Lucy Lunt

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2012.

The Skye Boat Song Oct 08, 2012

Show notes

The Skye Boat Song brings back a wealth of childhood memories for many.

The words "Speed Bonnie Boat Like a Bird on the Wing" tell the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s escape to the Isle of Skye - dressed as a maid - after defeat at the battle of Culloden.

Originally written by Sir Harold Boulton and Anne MacLeod back in the 1870's, we explore the song’s beauty and how it continues to touch people's lives across the world in very different ways.

The Queen's Piper, who has played it in happy and sad times, recalls his rendition outside the Queen's window and leading Princess Margaret's cortege.

A New Zealand artist shares his memories of time spent with his father, and the sound of him whistling the song on their way home as dusk fell. A sailor from the Isle of Skye, describes his connection with the spirituality of piece and the Loch on which he sails.

Acclaimed violinist Tasmin Little shares her own arrangement of the piece and explains why it works so well musically.

An Australian mum, tells how important this song has been in connecting with the two girls she has adopted from China.

Gaelic singer Maggie MacInnes tells the history of the piece.

Featuring music by Julian Lloyd Webber, The Corries and Pete Lashley.

Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal.

Producer: Rachel Matthews

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2012.