The Listening Service Podcast
Rethink music with The Listening Service. Tom Service presents a journey of imagination and insight, exploring how music works
Episodes to download
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Playing at sight and playing from memory
Sun 12 Dec 2021
Tom Service flexes his musical memory muscles whilst also improving his sight reading.
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How to listen to...Erik Satie
Sun 21 Nov 2021
Tom Service explores the musical universe of Erik Satie.
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The timeless power of contemporary choral music
Sun 17 Oct 2021
Tom Service immerses himself in the resonant sound world of 21st-century choral music.
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Eat to the Beat
Sun 3 Oct 2021
The many long-standing and sometimes surprising connections between food and music.
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Out of Tune
Sun 26 Sep 2021
Tom Service asks what it really means to be in tune? In tune with what - or who?
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How to listen to... Arvo P盲rt
Sun 19 Sep 2021
Tom explores Arvo P盲rt's music - what makes it so unique and why is it so popular?
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Fiddles and Fiddle Tunes
Sun 25 Jul 2021
Tom Service explores fiddles and fiddle tunes from around the world.
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Themes and Variations
Sun 18 Jul 2021
Tom Service explores the endless potential of musical variations on a theme.
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Money Makes the Music Go Round
Sun 27 Jun 2021
Tom Service explores the relationship between money and music.
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How to listen to... Gilbert and Sullivan
Sun 13 Jun 2021
Tom Service enters the topsy-turvy world of Gilbert and Sullivan.
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Playing Second Fiddle (and Horn and Trumpet...)
Sun 6 Jun 2021
The joys and frustrations of being the unsung heroes of the orchestral world.
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Leo拧 Jan谩膷ek: music is a being come alive
Sun 18 Apr 2021
What makes the extraordinary music of Czech composer Leo拧 Jan谩膷ek instantly recognisable?
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Tunes for 'Toons
Sun 11 Apr 2021
Tom Service explores cartoon music, from manic Mickey Mouse to moody Batman.
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The Viola - Music's Secret Fire
Sun 7 Mar 2021
Tom Service explores the viola's secret influence in music.
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The Feasibility of Studies
Sun 21 Feb 2021
How was the humdrum study transformed by great composers into miniature masterpieces?
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Musical Signatures
Sun 7 Feb 2021
What gives away a composer's personal style? How can we spot their musical signatures?
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What if...? Tom's Marvellous Musical Multiverse
Sun 27 Dec 2020
Tom Service laments and consoles with some of the great 'what ifs' of music history.
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Swing, Rubato and Bounce
Sun 13 Dec 2020
Tom Service investigates what happens when musical rhythm is loosened by swing or rubato.
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Becoming Beethoven's Fifth
Sun 6 Dec 2020
How did Beethoven compose one the most famous works in classical music?
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It Takes Two
Sun 18 Oct 2020
How did the tango escape its lowly origins to become a world-wide phenomenon?
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Why do we call it 'classical' music?
Tom Service poses a very simple question (with a not-so-simple answer).
Six of the world's most extreme voices
From babies to Mongolian throat singers: whose voice is the most extreme of all?
How did the number 12 revolutionise music?
How Schoenberg opened a new cosmos for composers and listeners to explore.
Why are we all addicted to bass?
Bass is everywhere, but why do we enjoy it? Join Tom Service on a journey of discovery.
Watch the animations
Join Tom Service on a musical journey through beginnings, repetition and bass lines.
When does noise become music?
We like to think we can separate 鈥渘oise鈥� from 鈥渕usic鈥�, but is it that simple?
