Music

essayAnimals and humans
Life thrums with music
Listen to the boundless sounds of nature, the great animal orchestra, whose songs imbue the world with fresh meaning
Jay Griffiths

videoMusic
A riveting audiovisual dive into what makes sounds harmonious, or not
28 minutes

videoProgress and modernity
Moving from Tibet to Beijing, Drolma reconciles big dreams with harsh realities
31 minutes

essayMusic
The beat of goombay
Diasporas are made of vast constellations of countless people, fused together through memory, meaning – and music
Salwa Halloway

videoGender
A catchy tune explains the world’s ‘isms’ – according to your mum doing the laundry
5 minutes

videoBeauty and aesthetics
Can you see music in this painting? How synaesthesia fuelled Kandinsky’s art
10 minutes

videoFilm and visual culture
A lush animated opus evokes the frenzied pace of modern life
4 minutes

videoMaking
Forging a cello from pieces of wood demands its own form of virtuosity
27 minutes

videoPhysics
The rhythms of a star system inspire a pianist’s transfixing performance
5 minutes

videoPleasure and pain
The volunteer musicians who perform in the aftermath of violence and tragedy
12 minutes

essayMusic
A novel kind of music
So-called ‘classical’ music was as revolutionary as the modern novel in its storytelling, harmony and depth
Joel Sandelson

essayMusic
Folk music was never green
Don’t be swayed by the sound of environmental protest: these songs were first sung in the voice of the cutter, not the tree
Richard Smyth

videoMusic
The peculiar beauty of a song caught between composition and improvisation
3 minutes

videoLanguage and linguistics
Messages born of melody – hear the whistled language of the Hmong people
18 minutes

videoMusic
‘Dun dun dun duuun!’ Why Beethoven’s Fifth sticks in the head and stirs the heart
5 minutes

videoMood and emotion
An Oceanic lullaby, ‘Gimme Shelter’ and more elucidate how music taps into our emotions
58 minutes

essayMusic
To the tune of dystonia
One day, my hand stopped speaking to my brain. As a doctor and flute player, I had to understand this strange affliction
Lynn Hallarman

videoPhysics
A song of ice, fire and jelly – exploring the physics and history of the trumpet
9 minutes

essayFilm and visual culture
Fighting kung fu
From chopsocky films to disco earworms, Asian caricatures have proliferated since the 1970s. Can Hollywood kick the habit?
Stephanie Wong

videoPhysics
A dreamy tribute to the music of Brian Eno, rendered in paint, soap and water
2 minutes

videoMusic
Electronic gloves and even potted plants make music in a playground for sound innovation
6 minutes

videoBiology
A dazzling slice-by-slice exploration of wood exposes hidden patterns and hues
2 minutes

videoMusic
As a pianist strikes a chord, visualisations of his notes appear in real time
5 minutes

essayMusic
Give the drummer some
As AI drum machines embrace humanising imperfections, what does this mean for ‘real’ drummers and the soul of music?
Jack Stilgoe