Music in Britain and Ireland

Britain and Ireland have a rich heritage of music, from folk songs, through classical music, to pop genres such as rock, grime, and electronic music.

Understand


Scotland has a thriving music scene. Outdoor popular music festivals attract vast crowds and attract internationally-renowned live music acts. Scottish bands and musicians are also prominent, particularly those originating from in and around Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. This city is home to a fantastic music scene; must-visit destinations include King Tut's Wah Wah Hut (where Oasis were spotted and signed for their first record deal).

Scottish folk music is also flourishing, with traditional and modern folk music sung in both English, Scottish Gaelic (and sometimes Scots). Folk music often features instruments such as fiddle/violin, acoustic guitar, harp, accordion, piano, various sorts of bagpipes, and other traditional instruments as well as voice. You may also encounter Scottish forms of dance which are also popular. This may range from simple, as at a ceilidh (pronounced "kay-lee", a mix of dances performed to traditional music and descended from ballroom and country dancing), to more complex Scottish Country Dancing which is a form of social dancing descended from renaissance dance styles, to solo Highland Dancing (which has a military heritage) if you go to a Highland Games. These styles exist alongside other popular forms of music and dance also found in other modern countries.

Wales is often referred to as "the land of song", and is notable for its harpists, male voice choirs, and plethora of solo artists like Charlotte Church. Cardiff has a big rock scene and has produced some of the biggest acts in the UK today. The principal Welsh festival of music and poetry is the annual National Eisteddfod. The Llangollen International Eisteddfod echoes the National Eisteddfod but provides an opportunity for the singers and musicians of the world to perform. Traditional music and dance in Wales is supported by a myriad of societies. The Welsh Folk Song Society has published a number of collections of songs and tunes.

Although England's Classical music tradition lags somewhat behind it's continental counterparts France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Russia, it has nevertheless produced several world-renowned composers such as Henry Purcell and Edward Elgar. Despite the relative lack of famous native-born English composers besides the aforementioned Purcell and Elgar, London has for over two centuries been an important city in the classical music circuit, with famous foreign composers such as George Frideric Handel (Georg Friedrich Händel), Johann Christian Bach, Joseph Haydn and Felix Mendelssohn having lived there or spent a significant amount of time there on tour. The English choral tradition is particularly famous among classical music enthusiasts, with composers such as Purcell, Handel, Mendelssohn and Elgar having employed it to great effect in their sacred music.

Destinations

 * London; home to the Royal Albert Hall, and other world famous stages. Pretend to be one of the 'Fab Four' at the Abbey Road zebra crossing.
 * Liverpool; hometown of the Beatles, the Beatles Story, the Beatles museum, Hard Days Night hotel, the Philharmonic Hall and the Cavern club.
 * Dublin, home of world famous acts such as U2 and Westlife, and six-time host of the Eurovision Song Contest
 * The Hebrides shouldn't need Mendelssohn's help to get you there, but if that's what it takes, you'll thank Mendelssohn.
 * The Hebrides shouldn't need Mendelssohn's help to get you there, but if that's what it takes, you'll thank Mendelssohn.

Events





 * Edinburgh International Festival and Festival Fringe - Edinburgh wide variety of music styles can be heard as part of a three week collection of arts festivals in August.
 * Edinburgh Jazz Festival - Edinburgh week long festival in July.


 * Reading Festival, Reading - last weekend in August. Tickets: £180 for weekend (including camping & parking), or £75 for any day (no camping included) - rock and indie


 * Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts - Swansea - mid October - Tickets: concerts are paid for individually - classical and jazz - the second largest festival of its kind in the UK.


 * Womad - Malmesbury, Wiltshire - late July. Tickets: £160 for weekend - music, art and dance
 * World Pipeband Championships - Glasgow. One weekend in mid-August.

See