麻豆约拍

What Makes a Song?

Tom Service explores what makes a good song work.

• 30 mins

What you see is what you hear?

Tom Service asks if the pictures we see of composers influence the way we hear their music

• 33 mins

In space no-one can hear you sing...

Tom Service explores why space-inspired music sounds the way it does.

• 30 mins

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

Tom Service explores the finale from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

• 29 mins

Deep Listening: Pauline Oliveros

Tom Service explores deep listening, a practice created by composer Pauline Oliveros.

• 29 mins

Music - It's About Time

Tom Service explores how music warps and changes our sense of how time is flowing.

• 30 mins

Brevity

Tom Service explores brevity in music in the company of sonic artist JLIAT.

• 28 mins

Who Wrote the First Folk Song?

Tom Service considers the question of who wrote the first folk song.

• 28 mins

Brahms - Behind the Beard

Tom Service considers whether Brahms had the most famous beard in classical music.

• 28 mins

Breaking Free: Martin Luther's Revolution

Tom Service explores the power and politics of communal singing.

• 28 mins

Endings

Tom Service explores how pieces of music end, asking what endings mean.

• 28 mins

What's the Point of the Conductor?

Tom Service explores the role of the conductor.

• 29 mins

Hay Festival 2017

In a special edition from 2017's Hay Festival, Tom Service explores setting words to music

• 41 mins

The Power of Three

Tom Service asks why we love to harmonise in thirds and why sometimes thirds go rogue.

• 29 mins

I Got Rhythm

Tom Service discovers why we find rhythm irresistible.

• 28 mins

Drones

Tom Service explores the variety of music based on a drone.

• 28 mins

Extreme Voices

Tom Service discovers some of the most extreme vocals in music.

• 28 mins

The Proms Podcast Episode II - A New Episode

While The Listening Service takes a break, why not try this episode of The Proms Podcast?

• 23 mins

Musical Protests

At The 麻豆约拍 Proms, The Listening Service discusses the music of revolution and protest.

• 29 mins

Codes, Ciphers, Enigmas

Tom Service delves into codes, ciphers and hidden messages in music.

• 28 mins

Music for Mourning

Tom Service asks why music has always been an essential part of mourning.

• 28 mins

Why is opera so ridiculous?

Tom Service considers opera - capable of great profundity, why is it also ridiculous?

• 29 mins

Silence!

Tom Service ponders silence as an integral part of music, from Haydn to James Blake.

• 28 mins

Earworms

Tom Service finds the maddening musical secrets behind earworms with guest Jarvis Cocker.

• 28 mins

Can Music Scare Us?

Tom Service discovers the darker side of music. With Halloween director John Carpenter.

• 28 mins

Shostakovich's Symphony No 15

Tom Service unlocks the mysteries of Shostakovich's baffling Symphony No 15.

• 28 mins

The Synthesizer. Hannah Peel, Peter Zinovieff

Tom Service investigates the rise of the synthesizer, now a common musical instrument.

• 28 mins

Pranked!

Tom Service on the motivation and aesthetic value of musical hoaxes.

• 28 mins

Bad Music

Everyone loves good music but when is music bad? Tom Service brings out the worst!

• 28 mins

Mahler

Tom Service discovers how Mahler was the first 'non-classical' classical composer.

• 28 mins