The 13 greatest pop songs ...

 ... from a classical music perspective

Britney Spears sings 'Toxic'. Picture: Getty

By Maddy Shaw Roberts

1K

From augmented chords to a random incredible theremin part, these pop songs all give a very pleasing nod to the classical world.

These are undoubtedly the best pop songs of all time (if you’re a classical musician).

1. Toxic – Britney

   Aside from Britney’s iconic vocals, what makes ‘Toxic’ so great is that jarring tritone in the refrain. It’s an unexpected moment of dissonance, and it’s all the more awesome coming from Britney.

2. Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys

   It’s impossible to count the number of tempo changes, key changes and bizarre instruments The Beach Boys used to create their biggest pop hit. From a chorus with one of the greatest modulations in music history to an unexpected appearance from a theremin, ‘Good Vibrations’ is the model of an incredible pop song.

3. I Want You Back – The Jackson 5

   Weirdly, the bassline of ‘I Want You Back’ is nearly as important as its melody. It starts with a thrilling glissando on keys, followed by a battle between the bassline and rhythm guitar line. Then, a third, completely independent line – the main melody – is added over the top, creating ACTUAL THREE-PART COUNTERPOINT. It gets better and better the more you listen to it.

4. Eleanor Rigby – The Beatles

   A killer pop song with… a killer cello part. How often can you say that? ‘Eleanor Rigby’ is just one example of McCartney’s creative genius. Both the lyrics and harmony of ‘Eleanor Rigby’ are eerily melancholic – and that’s largely down to those eerie marcato strings.
   Read more: ‘Eleanor Rigby’ proves that Paul McCartney would’ve been a genius Lieder composer

5. Lovefool – The Cardigans

   Tonally, ‘Lovefool’ never quite makes up its mind. It starts in A minor and occasionally switches into the major, before properly landing in A major for the chorus. But then, the chorus repeats and just when it seems like it’s going to finish in a major key, we’re back to A minor and into the next verse. It’s a tonal tug-of-war, and it’s just brilliant.

6. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant – Billy Joel

   A bottle of white, a bottle of red… the intro of ‘Scenes from an Italian restaurant’ is constantly undercut with those beautiful descending piano phrases. But then, we’re hit with a dramatic tempo change (at 3.36): the octave-jumping semiquavers come in, leading into one of the catchiest solo jazz piano sections in the pop-rock history. It’s the best.

7. Bad Romance – Lady Gaga

   Gaga outed herself as a true music geek when she opened the music video to her 2009 hit with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Fugue in B minor from The Well Tempered Clavier. We always knew she seemed like someone who’d enjoy a bit of Baroque counterpoint action.

8. Breakfast in America – Supertramp

   From a squealing soprano saxophone to a parpy, rhythmic trombone-tuba duet undercutting Roger Hodgson’s vocals, Supertramp are big fans of the brass section. They also use a pleasing harpsichord-esque setting on their keyboard in the opening two bars. We like.

9. Life in a Northern Town – Dream Academy

   ‘Life in a Northern Town’, most famous for its chorus, is a song brimming with nostalgia, something that's mainly achieved, somewhat unexpectedly, with the wistful sound of an oboe. The instrumentation is dominated by acoustic guitar and various keyboards, but the oboe cuts through beautifully.

10. She’s Like a Rainbow – Rolling Stones

    The instrumental passages in ‘She’s like a Rainbow’ might now have been used in about fifteen various car and perfume adverts, but they are still brilliantly original. The opening keyboard refrain, along with the descending strings, sound just like a tinkling music box.

11. Just the Way You Are – Billy Joel

    Otherwise known as the ‘demo’ setting on everyone’s childhood keyboard, ‘Just the Way You Are’ opens with a beautifully soothing electric piano solo – but it’s the saxophone solo, expertly performed by Phil Woods, that really takes the biscuit. Have a listen from 3:00.

12. Without You – Harry Nilsson / Mariah Carey

    Paul McCartney called it “the killer song of all time” – and its power comes from a bunch of really simple, but really emotive piano chords. The way Nilsson uses the opening chords to build up to the climax of the chorus, only to bring us straight back down again, is just agonising.

13. Single Ladies – Beyoncé

    It might not be one of Beyoncé’s more melodic creations, but there are some really interesting bits of music theory going on here. The ‘E’ which runs throughout the song acts as a drone under Bey’s main pentatonic melodies, giving the song a modal feel. But then, she throws in some unexpected chords in the form of siren noises over the top. Why? Because she’s Beyoncé and she can.

Music is at risk of disappearing from schools ...

...says new research

Music in schools is at risk of disappearing. Picture: Getty

By Maddy Shaw Roberts, ClassicFM London

15K

According to research by the University of Sussex, the number of secondary schools offering music as a curriculum subject is in serious decline.

Music as a timetabled subject is at significant risk of disappearing in schools, according to a survey by the University of Sussex.

The research found an increasing number of secondary schools had reduced or completely removed music from the curriculum for secondary school students in years seven to nine.

Read more: Simon Rattle to open free school for young musicians in 2019

Some schools are now no longer offering music as a curriculum subject, with others only offering it on an ‘enrichment day’ once a year.

Duncan Mackrill, Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Sussex, said: “Music’s place in the secondary curriculum continues to be precariously balanced or disappearing in a significant number of schools.

“Without a change to require a balanced curriculum in all schools we are in danger of music education becoming in many cases the preserve of those who can pay.”

Some schools only offer music on an ‘enrichment day’ once a year. Picture: Getty

Of the 464 schools in England which responded to the survey, 70 per cent reported music teachers often teaching outside their subject area, to ‘fill gaps’ in ‘core subjects’.

The research found the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), a set of core subjects used to measure schools’ performance, is having a particularly negative impact on the provision and uptake of music in schools.

Performance measures and a squeeze on funding were also reported as having a negative effect.

According to the survey, some schools have discouraged top-set students from taking music at GCSE, because of the EBacc. In others, lower ability students are prevented from taking music so they can concentrate on core subjects.

Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, said: “Music is central to our cultural life, a key driver of economic growth, and gives our children the tools to navigate a fast changing digital world.

“We urge the Government to reverse its EBacc policy altogether to keep music in our schools.”

Opera Soprano Monserrat Caballe passed away

Opera soprano Montserrat Caballé dies, age 85

Critics and audiences the world over viewed Caballé as one of the great opera divas. DW takes a look at her successes and triumphs across diverse genres.

    

As announced by The Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona, Montserrat Caballé passed away early Saturday morning. The famous operatic opera star will be laid to rest on Monday. 

When Montserrat Caballé was born on April 12, 1933, her parents named her after a nearby mountain range close to Barcelona. Yet no one in the family might have dreamed that the newborn would go on to conquer the lofty summits of coloratura singing, or would be revered as the "queen of bel canto."

From Bremen out into the world

On stage in 1968

After studying voice at a conservatory in her native Barcelona, Montserrat Caballé made her debut in 1956 at the Theater Basel, where she played the consumptive Mimi in Puccini's "La Bohème." Three years later, the young soprano joined the ensemble of the Theater Bremen, where she consistently developed her repertoire and studied diverse soprano parts.

As audiences in the rather restrained northern German city of Bremen enthusiastically applauded the singer, foreign houses also became aware of Caballé. When in New York in 1965, the soprano stepped in for singer Marilyn Horne, who had fallen ill, and performed Donizetti's "Lucrezia Borgia" without a rehearsal. "This is the bel canto specialist we've been waiting for," cheered enthusiastic critics after Caballé's impressive performance.

Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti

On stage with Jose Carreras at a benefit concert in 1995

This sudden New York success might have surprised the singer but it was a pivotal step on her international career path. In an interview about the Italian vocal style decades later, she said of her New York performance: "Bel canto always sounded too much like the cry of a rooster. Mozart was better. The conductor simply told me to sing it as though it were Mozart."

Although Caballé often interpreted works by Mozart or Richard Strauss, audiences especially wanted to hear her perform virtuoso coloratura parts in operas by Gioacchino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini and Gaetano Donizetti. Indeed, rising demand for the soprano saw her soon make appearances at the Met in New York, as well as major international opera houses in Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna, London, Paris, Milan or Buenos Aires.

A friend of Callas

Just before singing the lead role of Imogen in Bellini's 'Il Pirata' in London

After her meteoric ascent to the bel canto summit, Caballé became close with a colleague who was both admired and feared: Maria Callas. The two divas got along quite well, with the younger asking Callas for advice on difficult parts. The latter once described Caballé's voice as a "light breeze on the skin."

Caballé likewise had good relationship with soprano Renata Tebaldi, who was Callas' fiercest competitor. The Spanish soprano was likely pleased after the international press labeled her the heir of the two celebrated divas in the 1970s and 80s. But amid the hype, bel canto remained the most important focus of Caballé's wide-ranging stage repertoire.

Unafraid of rubbing elbows

Queen's lead singer, Freddie Mercury, was a longtime fan

The soprano's fans didn't just stem from the classical music scene. One of the opera star's most famous admirers was Freddie Mercury, lead singer in British rock group Queen. In 1987, he and Caballé collaborated on the album "Barcelona," with the eponymous title song reaching the top of the European pop charts.

The album's reissue for the 1992 Olympic Games was again a major success. On her 1997 album "Friends for Life," Caballé collaborated with pop greats like Bruce Dickinson from band Iron Maiden (covering the Queen song "Bohemian Rapshody"), in addition to Johnny Hallyday, Jonny Logan, Vangelis and Helmut Lotti. 

In addition to her classical repertoire, the singer was also interested in the traditional music of her Catalan homeland. She performed numerous concerts with her daughter, the soprano Montserrat Martí.

A UNESCO ambassador, Caballé received countless honors such as the Federal Cross of Merit awarded by Germany. In 2007, she received the ECHO Klassik Prize for her life's work.

The singer had said she "wants to die on stage"

'The best voice in the world'

Freddie Mercury was just one of many who raved about Caballé's voice, saying it was "the best in the world." Critics praised the almost inexhaustible versatility of her repertoire, the unusually dramatic nature of her performances, and her mastery of vocal technique. She was revered not only as the "queen of bel canto," but one of the greatest singers of her generation.

The 15 most famous tunes in Classical Music

Clockwise from top left: Turandot (Puccini), Pavarotti, Mozart, Torvill and Dean dance to Ravel's Boléro, Rossini. Picture: Getty Images

By Sofia Rizzi, ClassicFM London

Here are some of the world's most famous classical music melodies and everything you need to know about them.

There's nothing more annoying than humming a tune but not knowing what it's called or where it's from. Fear not – here are some of the most famous tunes from the history of music, complete with all the background information you need.

And if you want to hear more famous classical tunes, why not order a copy of our new album, The Classics You Know?

1. Mozart – Eine kleine Nachtmusik

   The official name of this piece is the Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major, and it was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1787. Mozart himself gave the piece its nickname, when he jotted this name down in the log book he kept detailing all the music he wrote.
   The music has been used in Charlie's Angels – Full Throttle, Alien, Ace Ventura and There's Something About Mary, as well as in countless TV programmes and adverts. It also featured prominently in the film Amadeus about the composer himself.

2. Beethoven – Für Elise

   This piece was never published during Beethoven’s lifetime and it wasn't even discovered until forty years after his death.
   As a result, no one’s quite sure who the Elise of the title was… and some musicologists even think the title might have been copied incorrectly and it was originally called ‘Für Therese’.
   But whoever the lucky recipient of this piece was, we can all agree that it’s one of the most charming pieces for piano ever written.
   Due to the music’s simple yet catchy melody, there have been countless reinterpretations of the piece including a cubist rendition and a jazzy cover.

3. Puccini – 'O mio babbino caro' from Gianni Schicchi

   There might be uncontacted tribes in the Amazon who haven't heard this piece, but there can't be many other people in the world who wouldn't recognise this famous aria by Puccini.
   It comes from his opera Gianni Schicchi, a one-act opera all about the lengths one family will go to to make sure they inherit money from an elderly relative. An unlikely source for a melody that has become famous as one of the most romantic ever writtten…
   ‘O mio babbino caro’ is performed by young Lauretta, who is pleading with her father to allow her to marry Rinuccio, the man she loves. And it’s fame has far outstripped that of the opera.
   It features on the soundtracks for Downton Abbey, Captain Correlli’s Mandolin, A Room with a View, and the list goes on.

4. J.S. Bach – Toccata and Fugue in D minor

   This piece by Bach might not have the catchiest title, but we guarantee you'll know the famous opening.
   It has become associated with scary moments in horror films, perhaps because it famously made an appearance in the opening credits of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931).

5. Beethoven – Symphony No.5 in C minor

   This symphony by Beethoven opens with perhaps the four most famous chords of all time – the famous “da da da duuum”. Some critics have suggested that this opening represents the sound of Fate knocking at the door.
   Who knows if that's what Beethoven had in mind – but what's beyond a shadow of a doubt is that this piece has come so famous it's even featured in pop songs.

6. Vivaldi – The Four Seasons

   The Four Seasons is actually a group of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Each gives a musical expression to a season of the year – listen out for the chattering teeth in Winter, the dramatic storm in summer, and the arrival of the hunt in autumn.
   All four of the concertos have become world famous. In fact, you may well have even heard this piece being used as a ringtone!

7. Bizet – ‘Carmen’

   Bizet's opera Carmen from 1875 is jam-packed with catchy tunes – from the 'Toreador's Song' to the 'Habanera' and the aria 'L'amour est un oiseau rebelle' to the Overture itself.
   Bizet's music has appeared most recently in the Pixar film Up. Sesame Street also did a pretty epic cover, not to forget Tom and Jerry's homage.
   What many might not know is that Carmen was a pretty groundbreaking opera in the 19th century. Bizet was seen as quite the rebel for having set his music to such a risqué plot. But the opera has gone on to become one of the most successful ever written.

8. Johann Strauss II – The Blue Danube

   The Blue Danube is the commonly used name for Johann Strauss II's waltz By the Beautiful Blue Danube. The Viennese connections with this song has made it almost an unofficial national anthem for Austria. However, film lovers might recognise it from Stanley Kubrick’s epic film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), where it's used in the stunning opening sequence.

9. Ravel – Boléro

   This tune was made famous when it was used by Torvill and Dean for their gold-medal-winning 1984 Olympic performance.
   Ravel’s music was actually originally composed as a ballet for the Russian dance Ida Rubinstein, so its rise to 20th-century fame through Torvill and Dean’s ice skating routine isn’t far from what the composer intended!

10. Delibes – ‘Flower Duet’ from Lakmé

    The ‘Flower Duet’ is from Léo Delibes’ opera Lakmé and the composer is a bit of a one-hit wonder. But that one hit has become a super hit – this duet is now one of the most famous ever written. It is traditionally sung by a soprano and mezzo-soprano but its rise to fame has resulted in many different interpretations of the song.
    This is by far the most famous section of the opera, and the duet might be best known as the soundtrack to a very memorable British Airways advert.

11. Grieg – ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ from Peer Gynt Suite

    Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite was originally written as incidental music for a production of Ibsen's play Peer Gynt. But he later turned his music into two suites, which have become some of his best known work.
    This movement is particularly famous because of its incredibly catchy main theme. Modern pop and rock bands including Electric Light Orchestra, The Who and Savatagehave used the melody in their music, and it has also been used for many years by the British theme park Alton Towers as a sort of theme tune, appearing in their adverts and on their YouTube videos.

12. Mozart – Overture from The Marriage of Figaro

    The melodies in this opera overture have been used time and time again in films, TV shows, adverts and even pop music. In the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory you’ll hear Willy Wonka opening the doors to his chocolate factory by playing the music from this overture on a miniature piano.
    The Marriage of Figaro tells the story of Figaro and Susanna, who work for the Count and Countess Almaviva, and whose plans to get married hit one or two obstacles along the way… It is one of the most frequently performed operas of all time.

13. Puccini – 'Nessun Dorma' from Turandot

    Puccini's opera aria Nessun Dorma was brought to a global audience when it was used as the anthem for the 1990 World Cup in Italy, in a recording by the legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti.
    It actually comes from Puccini's final opera Turandot, which was left unfinished when he died. It tells the story of the brutal princess Turandot and her murderous reign.
    Today, the piece has become a classic in the world of TV talent shows. Paul Potts, who won the first series of Britain's Got Talent, made this his calling-card aria

14. Prokofiev – 'Dance of the Knights' from Romeo and Juliet

    You may well recognise this if you're a fan of The Apprentice… The television series chose this section from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet as its theme music.
    The ballet tells the tragic story of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers and the war waged between the rival families, the Montagues and the Capulets. So it's no surprise that this centrepiece of the ballet is one of the most dramatic pieces of music ever written. Nor that the producers of The Apprentice wanted some of that drama for their theme music.

15. Rossini – Overture from 'William Tell'

    The finale of this overture is instantly recognisable for its galloping rhythm and trumpet solos. It reached an international audience when it was used as the theme music for The Lone Ranger films and television and radio shows.
    But the music has since become almost a cliché as the soundtrack for car chases and zany antics. And it's also featured in countless ads
    Rossini's opera doesn't actually have any other well-known melodies. And this section of the overture, called The March of the Swiss Soldiers, doesn't even make another appearance in the five-hour long opera.