Key Changes: Radio 3's Essential History of Classical Music Episodes Available now
1672: London Calling
1672, London. A shilling buys entry to the first public concert.
1653: The Dancing King
1653, Paris. A teenage Louis XIV dances as the Sun, and ballet is transformed.
1600: Opera's First Breath
1600, Florence. At a Medici wedding, a new artform is born.
1564 - The Queen’s Gambit
It's the year 1564. A Scottish envoy has an unexpected musical encounter with Elizabeth I.
1527: The Church on Fire
It's the year 1527. As imperial troops storm Rome, its musical life is thrown into crisis.
1521: Why should the devil have all the best tunes?
It's the year 1521. On the road to Worms, Martin Luther leads a hymn as he faces judgement
1501: The Printed Composer
Venice, 1501. In a canal-side workshop, Petrucci produces the first printed book of music.
1492: The Fall of Granada
It's 1492. Granada has fallen. In the Alhambra, a Moorish musician awaits his fate.
1415: War, Pestilence and Sweet Sounds
The year is 1415. The Battle of Agincourt heralds a profound change in the sound of music.
1182: Raising Notre-Dame
The year is 1182. Notre-Dame de Paris is consecrated, and new musical ideas are born.
