1521: Why should the devil have all the best tunes?

On the road to Worms in April 1521, Martin Luther approaches the imperial city under escort, summoned to account for his heretical teachings. As cheering crowds gather to greet him, Luther leads his companions in a hymn, in German – a small, human gesture that hints at the profound musical change to come. His defiance at the Diet of Worms will ignite the Protestant Reformation, and Luther's love of music will influence the trajectory of Western music ever after.

Gillian Moore is joined by a roster of distinguished historians for this major new BBC Radio 3 series, charting a course through 1000 years of classical music history. For the first eight programmes, historian Michael Wood is in the chair, as together they explore the bold new sound worlds of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Producer: Chris Taylor
Academic Consultant: Professor Laura Tunbridge, University of Oxford
Story Consultant: Kate Leys
Series Editor for BBC Audio: Emma Harding
Key Changes theme tune composed by Joseph Howard and performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Kerem Hasan.

MUSIC DETAILS

Martin Luther: Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott
BBC Singers

J. S. Bach: Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (Cantata No.80)
Chorus Musicus Köln
Das Neue Orchester
Christoph Spering, conductor

Michael Praetorius: Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
Monteverdi Choir
John Eliot Gardiner, conductor

Heinrich Schütz: Jauchzet dem Herren, alle Welt, SWV 47
La Chapelle Rhénane
Benoît Haller, conductor

Elisabeth Cruciger: Herr Christ, der einig Gotts Sohn (The Only Son from Heaven)
BBC Singers

Little Lucy Smith Singers: Jesus, Lover of My Soul
Little Lucy Smith Singers

J. S. Bach: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (Cantata No.147)
Bach Collegium Japan
Masaaki Suzuki, conductor

Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No.5 “Reformation” – IV. Andante con moto
London Symphony Orchestra
Claudio Abbado, conductor