Music Clips Library

Music Clips

These short music clips are intended to illustrate aspects of music identified in the National Curriculum for Music at Key Stage 2.

They've been selected from a wide range of sources, including different genres, time periods and geographical locations.

The clips are intended for use as part of a music lesson and can be integrated in any way that is appropriate for your group.

Share this page

Pitch

  • High and low - Saint-Saëns: 'Carnival of the animals'.
  • Getting higher and lower - Saint-Saëns: 'Carnival of the animals'.
  • Getting higher and lower - Chopin: Etude, Op 10 No 1 in C major.
  • Jumps - Edvard Grieg: 'Elves' dance'.
  • Steps - P. Rondeau: 'Freylach'.
  • Chords - J. Bevan: 'Chordswells'.
  • Melody (tune) - Saint-Saëns: 'Carnival of the animals'.
  • Sliding - David Arnold: 'Swanee whistle'.
  • Semitones - Saint-Saëns: 'Carnival of the animals'.
  • Semitones - Chopin: Etude, Op 25 No 6 in G sharp minor.
  • Pentatonic - San Ton: 'Friendship' (Mongolian folk song).

Duration: rhythm and pulse

  • Beat - David Jones: 'Kitchen sink', performed by Stomp.
  • Rhythm - Gustav Holst: The Planets - 'Mars'.
  • Steady beat - Fleetwood Mac: 'Albatross'.
  • Short (staccato) - Delibes: 'Sylvia'
  • Long (sustained) - Barber: 'Adagio for strings'.
  • Getting faster (accelerando) - F. Perchat: 'Kalinka'.
  • Getting slower (rallentando) - Bach: 'Jesu, joy of Man's desiring'.
  • Striding - Glenn Miller: 'In the mood'.
  • Metre (grouping beats) 2s - J. J. Young: 'Stars and stripes forever'.
  • Metre (grouping beats) 3s - Johann Strauss II: 'Blue Danube' waltz.
  • Metre (grouping beats) 4s - Bach, J.S: Prelude No 1 in C major, BWV 846.
  • Metre (grouping beats) 4s - Bach, J.S: Prelude No 2 in C minor, BWV 847.

Dynamics

  • Loud - Johann Strauss: 'Thunder and lightning'.
  • Quiet - Vaughan Williams: 'Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis'.
  • Loud and quiet - Offenbach: Orpheus in the underworld - 'Overture' (the 'can-can').
  • Getting louder (crescendo) - Mendelssohn: 'Overture - A Midsummer Night's Dream'.
  • Getting quieter (decrescendo) - Borodin: String Quartet No. 2.
  • Silence (rests) - A. Gomez-Orozco: 'Las Raspa'.

Timbre

  • Spiky - Timbales.
  • Smooth (legato) - Vibraphone.
  • Tinkling - Bell tree.
  • Shaking - Tambourine.
  • Scraping - Guiro.
  • Tapping - Congo drums.
  • Striking together - Cymbals.
  • Booming - Bass drum.
  • Sliding - Swanee whistle.
  • Wobbling - Flexatone.
  • Heavy - Timpani.
  • Light - Arabic drums.
  • Floating - Sustain effect.
  • Chiming - Tubular bells.
  • Clicking - Rattle.

Texture

  • Round - 'Frere Jacques'. Trad. Arrangement Chris Payne.
  • Fast and loud - Julinho: 'Forro em Paris'.
  • High and fast - Ponchielli: 'Dance of the hours'.
  • Low and quiet - Grieg: Peer Gynt 'In the hall of the Mountain King'.
  • Layers - Kapagian: 'Welcoming'.
  • Question and answer - Sarvan: 'Sweet temptation'.

Voice

  • Singing - Luigi Denza: 'Funiculi Funicular'.
  • Humming - Stephen North/Mark Britten: 'Spring fever'.
  • Talking - Leslie Briscusse: 'Talk to the animals!'
  • Yodelling - Da Jodel-Rudel.
  • High voice - Kate Bush: 'Wuthering Heights'.
  • Low voice - Kern/Hammerstein: Showboat - 'Old Man River'.
  • Vocal effects 1 - Langden/Jeczalik/Dudley: 'Eye of the noodle'.
  • Vocal effects 2 - A. Jawara: 'Bantu Bhaithi'.
  • Vocal effects 3 - Vocal Soundscapes: 'Cappella Fella'.

Context: historical periods

  • Medieval - Giraut de Bornelh: 'Reis Glorios'.
  • Elizabethan - John Playford: 'Green Goose Fair'.
  • Baroque - J.S. Bach: Suite no.2 in B minor.
  • Classical 1 - Beethoven: Symphony no.5 - 1st movement.
  • Classical 2 - Mozart: Horn Concerto no. 4 in E flat.
  • Romantic - Brahms: Wiegenlied - 'Guten Abend, gute Nacht'.
  • Modern (20th Century) - Ravel: L'eventail de Jeanne - 'Fanfare'.

Context: Geographical locations

  • Bali - 'Gamelan Angkulang'.
  • Cambodia - 'The Gourd Pipe'. Trad. Arranged Zheng Yue Wen.
  • Cameroon - C.M. Bassi: 'Mulatako'.
  • Caribbean - 'Banana Tree': Trad. Arranged D. Berkwood and E. Blocka.
  • Greece - M Plessas: 'Journey to Rhodes'.
  • India - Kuljit Bhamra: 'Raga Jog Kauns'.
  • Indonesia - 'Suling': Trad. Arranged Zheng Yue Wen.
  • Japan - Tanoshi: 'Happy children'.
  • Native American - 'Tom Toms'.
  • North Africa - Hassan Ramzy: 'Dance of the Bedouins'.
  • Mexico - 'La Bamba'.
  • Spain - D. Bradnum and B. Weston: 'Alhambra'.
  • Sweden - 'Ganglat Fran Mockfjard'. Trad. Arranged T. Hanson.

Special occasions

  • Waltz - Johann Strauss.
  • Polka - Johann Strauss: 'Trisch tratsch'.
  • Ballet - Stravinsky: Petrushka - 'Russian dance'.
  • Jig - Terry Keating: 'Molly's jig'.
  • May Day - 'May Day Morris'. Arrangment Paul James and Dave Shepherd.
  • Christmas - 'O little town of Bethlehem'. Arrangment Bob Holroyd.
  • Lullaby - 'Hush a bye baby'. Arrangement by C. Wells.
  • Fanfare - T. Trombey and P. Reno: 'Fanfare showcase'.
  • Halyard shanty - Work song.
  • Nursery rhyme - 'Jack and Jill'.
  • Hymn - 'All things bright and beautiful'.

Programmes to download

Programmes to download at any time

Download programmes

A collection of programmes to download as mp3 files at any time.

Podcasts

Podcasts

Current podcasts

How to download or subscribe to programmes as podcasts.

Contact us

Contact us

Contact us

We welcome your feedback, suggestions and pupils' work.

Order CD

Order CD

How to order

Pre-recorded CDs of programmes (available to UK schools only).

Teacher's notes

Teacher's Notes

Online Teacher's Notes

Notes to support the programmes are simple to print or download as pdf.

bbc.co.uk navigation

BBC © 2012 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.