Composer Timelines

Our Composer Timelines article has infographics mapping the main composers for the Baroque, Classical and Romantic Periods. The images can be viewed on screen, but with sufficient detail to allow printing as wall posters. More...

Tron: Legacy by Daft Punk

Tron: Legacy is quite simply one of the most original film scores of recent years. French Electronic Duo Daft Punk have delivered a perfect fusion of synth and orchestral sounds, with some truly innovative textural soundscapes - and all this with their debut film score! More...

More music by George Frideric Handel

Best known for his Royal Music, Handel composed a wealth of music used frequently in church services and on television and film. Here is new sheet music (and audio files) for Handel's Largo and his famous keyboard Sarabande:

• Ombra Mai Fu - aria from the opera "Serse"
• Handel's Largo (violin & piano) based on aria above
• Handel's Largo - arranged for Piano or Organ
• Sarabande - from Keyboard Suite in Dm

Edward Elgar - English Composer

The composer Edward Elgar is often seen as a typical Edwardian gentleman, but he struggled to find acceptance in society and was largely self-taught. He is now regarded as the first in a new wave of English composers.

• Land of Hope and Glory
• Nimrod Variation (for piano)
• Nimrod Variation (for organ)

Skyfall by Thomas Newman

With Skyfall doing very well at the box office, we look at the music score by Sam Mendes' regular collaborator Thomas Newman. On this the 50th anniversary year of James Bond movies, how does Skyfall stand up against 50 years of James Bond Music? More...

David Arnold: Tomorrow Never Dies

With the latest Bond film "Skyfall" due for release soon, we look at David Arnold's first Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies - a successful blend of new and traditional which remains true to Bond's rich musical heritage, yet brings it kicking and screaming into the modern age. More...

A Symphony of British Music

Musical Director David Arnold gave up a Bond film to concentrate on music for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. With A Symphony of British Music you can relive those musical highlights from the Closing Ceremony. More...

Brave by Patrick Doyle

After Thor and Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Pixar's Brave marks a homecoming for Scottish composer Patrick Doyle. More subtle and authentic than Braveheart, Brave's music has some wonderful set pieces with layers of complexity just like Pixar's well-rounded characters. More...

Poltergeist by Jerry Goldsmith

Released the same year as "ET", Poltergeist is the dark side of Spielberg's imagination. Composer Jerry Goldsmith pulls out all the stops, mixing darkness and light, melding avant-garde dissonance with the innocence of a child's song. More...

The Music of Doctor Who

We look at the Music of Doctor Who and the composers who have created it, from its unique theme music and its sound effects to its incidental music. The show's music has gone through an incredible revolution, from pioneering electronic techniques, to synthesisers and symphony orchestras. More...

Durango by Mark McKenzie

Durango is a 1999 TV Movie set in Ireland in 1939. It features a strong score from composer Mark McKenzie. His music powerfully supports the story's emotional arc and the historic setting, yet avoids an excess of Hollywood's Celtic clichés. More...

Jack the Giant Slayer by John Ottman

Composer John Ottman again teams up with director Bryan Singer for Jack the Giant Slayer. The film's music score is a delight, oozing good old-fashioned action adventure in the traditions of film music's golden age. More...

Jonny Greenwood - The Master

Jonny Greenwood is best known as the lead guitarist of Radiohead, but in recent years he has forged an independent career as a composer. He has collaborated with Krzysztof Penderecki and scored a number of films, including two critically acclaimed dramas for director Paul Thomas Anderson: "There Will Be Blood" and The Master. More...

A Good Day to Die Hard - Marco Beltrami

With A Good Day to Die Hard, composer Marco Beltrami pulls off a difficult balancing act. He delivers all the action tracks, pays homage to the earlier film scores by Michael Kamen, acknowledges the father-son relationship and the Russian location, and throws in some genuine humour. More...

Beethoven - Piano Sonatas

In total Beethoven composed 32 Piano Sonatas, and there is a wealth of good music among them. Some are difficult to play but others are more approachable by the piano student. Here is sheet music, midi and mp3 files for some famous examples and arrangements:

• Moonlight Sonata (1st movement)
• Pathetique Sonata (2nd movement)
• Pathetique Sonata (for viola and piano)
• Pathetique Sonata (for clarinet and piano)

Lincoln by John Williams

The score for Lincoln is largely understated, built from a number of themes depicting aspects of Lincoln's personality and the major events of his presidency. With these themes and some period colour, John Williams paints a compelling soundtrack worthy of its many award nominations. More...

Manuscripts, Pens and Composers

In Manuscripts, Pens & Composers, Jeffrey Dane introduces some iconic moments in the annals of Classical Music. Illustrated with original manuscripts and other documents, his article illuminates the history and offers insight into the minds of the great composers. More...

The Ghost and the Darkness - Goldsmith

The Ghost and the Darkness is a tense thriller set in Kenya, where man-eating lions threaten the construction of a railroad. The magnificent score by Jerry Goldsmith adds much to the atmosphere, with African sounds which portray the landscape's beauty and also its terror. More...

Anna Karenina by Dario Marianelli

The latest film adaptation of Anna Karenina has a surreal theatrical staging. Its perfectly judged music score by composer Dario Marianelli imbues the film with a period Russian feel, while also capturing the social setting with a wonderful wit and charm. More...

Roy Budd: Mama Dracula

Mama Dracula is a comedy horror by a Franco-Belgian team and scored by British jazz pianist turned film composer Roy Budd. Though he scored so few films in his short life, Budd's natural talent adapted well to any genre. Mama Dracula is a great addition to any soundtrack collection. More...

James Bond - the Music

As we get closer to the release of "Skyfall" with Thomas Newman and Adele confirmed for the music, we look back at a full 50 years of James Bond Music and the composers who shaped it. What is it that defines the James Bond Sound, and where is it heading? More...