Four descending notes. It’s just four descending notes that launch the majestic Piano Concerto No. 1 by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. We’ll hear it in its full glory.

October 5th is the annual observance of WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY … when we honor the contributions and influences of teachers.

Some of cinema’s most captivating stories come from simply observing the world. This week on Reel Music, we’ll dive into the soundtracks behind documentary films.

Mark O'Connor is a highly versatile and innovative American musician, known for blending bluegrass, jazz, classical, and folk music into a unique style.

The modern brass quintet was developed long after Johann Sebastian Bach lived, but brass quintets play arrangements of Bach’s music all the time. It works well—they sound like an organ, Bach’s primary instrument.

Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal didn’t just fix the economy—it made music education and entertainment a priority across the U.S. during the Great Depression. The Federal Music Project offered music classes, hosted festivals, and even created 34 new orchestras.

Everyone’s got their thing. Erik Satie, for example, only ate foods that were white. We’ll get a taste of his quirky music.

Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason had big plans for a 2020 tour, but when the pandemic hit, they shifted gears and recorded an album instead.

Based on how the premiere went for Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, it’s hard to believe it went on to become one of the most famous symphonies in classical music. Hear the story and the music today!

Claude Debussy's La mer premiered in 1905. Despite some awful reviews, it quickly became one of Debussy's most admired and frequently performed orchestral works.