James Naughtie re-evaluates the reputation of the composer Giacomo Puccini, who was born 150 years ago. Show more

Alyn Shipton traces the career of master crooner Bing Crosby. Show more

Alyn Shipton concludes his look at the rise and reign of the Crooner by talking to those who knew and worked with Bing Crosby. Show more

Helen Shapiro presents the story of a lost TV interview with the Beatles recorded in April 1964 and recently found languishing in a rusty film can in a garage in South London. Show more

Huw Williams traces the history of the tambourine, from the Middle East to Stravinsky, Motown and the Sugababes. Contributors include Craig Reid of The Proclaimers.

Jeremy Summerly takes a look at the history of the boy choristers who have sung the daily liturgy in English cathedrals and collegiate churches for fourteen hundred years.

A story of truth and reconciliation in post-Apartheid South Africa between a secret policeman and a protesting rock musician whose career he systematically wrecked. Show more

Rock critic Peter Paphides goes back to Athens, the city where his parents grew up, to chart the history and roots of Rembetika, the Greek blues. Show more

Trevor Nelson tells the story of the influential band Soul II Soul, which grew to become a voice for young black people in Britain in the late 1980s and early 90s. Show more

Ornithologist Stephen Moss explores French composer Olivier Messiaen's fascination for using birdsong in his music and how it became a refuge from watching his wife's slow death. Show more

Using archive interviews, this programme documents how the attitude of black America to Vietnam shifted, through music, over the course of the war. Presented by Martha Reeves.

1/2. Documentary looking at how the attitude of black America to Vietnam shifted, through music, over the course of the war; and how it fused with the civil rights movement.

The story of the hosiery manufacturer who introduced Beethoven to England and the coal merchant whose musical gatherings attracted the greatest musicians of the late 17th century. Show more

Cuba's musicians are one of the few sources for bringing in much-needed foreign currency to the ailing economy, but is the pressure placed on them detrimental to Cuban culture? Show more

Stephen Evans examines the links between Cuba's music, its revolution and the impact that socio-political and social changes have had on the music and musicians' lives. Show more

Journalist Anthony Barnes celebrates a virtually extinct aspect of the music industry, the B-side of a record. Contributors include Tim Rice, Paul Gambaccini and Gloria Gaynor.

Ben Elton explores a forgotten side of his greatest literary hero. PG Wodehouse wrote lyrics for hundreds of songs which appeared in many musical comedies. Show more