Classical music
In the 1100s, with the creation of the Chapel Royal, multi-part singing and the ability to superimpose a text on an existing melody had developed in the UK. The origins of traditional song can be traced back to this period. But it was above all with the arrival of the Tudors in power and the Anglican schism that the country experienced a development conducive to artistic creation. Following the separation from the papacy, Catholic sacred music had to be replaced by new music, specific to Anglican worship. Musicians such as John Taverner, Christopher Tye and Thomas Tallis became protégés of King Henry VIII, who never missed an opportunity to promote them. During the reign of ElizabethI, the great musical figures were John Dowland, William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons. But the great figure of English composition is undoubtedly Henry Purcell (1659-1695), who enabled England to assert itself in the musical life of the time, when Italy and France dominated the European Baroque. His most famous and accomplished opera is Dido and Aeneas (1689), but he also wrote other works, more influenced by the fashion of the time, including King Arthur (1691) and The Tempest (1695). The 18th century was marked by the composer Georg Friedrich Handel. Originally from Germany, but settled in England at the age of twenty-six, he made his mark and created the genre of the English oratorio. Of Handel's forty or so operas, thirty oratorios and musical dramas, Messiah is undoubtedly his masterpiece.
In the Victorian era, there was a fracture between musical genres, with more elitist music on the one hand, such as that performed in concert halls, drawing rooms and religious life, and popular songs and dance music on the other. It was at this time that the Catholic, self-taught composer Edward Elgar (1857-1934) emerged. The Enigma Variations (1899) launched Elgar's late career, which was later confirmed by a symphony, a violin concerto and a cello concerto, all of which were highly acclaimed by the public and are now part of the British repertoire. Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) achieved worldwide success in the 20th century, and is considered the greatest British composer since Purcell. Far from the fashions and atonality of his time, the War Requiem is considered his masterpiece, but he also wrote operas that have become great classics, such as Peter Grimes, Billy Bud, The Turn of the Screw and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Contemporary London composer George Benjamin also excels in writing operatic works, as demonstrated by the enthusiastic reception given to his opera Written on Skin in 2012.
Lovers of the lyric arts will want to visit the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, home of the Royal Opera, the Royal Ballet and the house orchestra. The Royal Albert Hall is an exceptional auditorium that has seen some of the greatest artists in classical music, including Richard Wagner and Arthur Rubinstein. Every year, for eight weeks between July and September, it hosts The Proms, also known as the BBC Proms or the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, a series of classical music concerts presented and broadcast by the BBC. Much of the rock and pop scene, including The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Cure and Pink Floyd, has also performed on this legendary stage. It's worth noting that some of the seats are located behind the stage, while at the same time overlooking it (East or West Choir seats.) The sound is affected, but you're right up close to the artists.
Swinging Sixties
London's influence is undoubtedly most pronounced in pop and rock. The city was the catalyst for this artistic revolution.
From 1965 to 1968, London experienced its Roaring Twenties with Swinging London, a musical and cultural upheaval whose epicenter was Carnaby Street and the King's Road district. Skirts grew shorter, while young people began to wear frilled shirts. The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and The Who make their debut on the Marquee stage. The Roundhouse in Camden plays host to the Doors and Pink Floyd. To relive a little of that era, head for the Mayfair district, to visit the apartment where Hendrix lived in the late 1960s. In 1969, the Beatles recorded their album Abbey Road, named after the street where EMI's recording studios were located. The cover featuring the musicians on the crosswalk in front of Abbey Road Studios has become iconic. The place is a must-see for all music fans, and rock fans in particular. The Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park in 1969, in honor of Brian Jones who had died two days earlier, symbolically marked the end of this carefree era. Then the 1970s saw the emergence of a new sound: David Bowie, Roxy Music and T. Rex invented glam rock. Fans of the author of Ziggy Stardust should make a detour to Tunstall Road, Brixton, where Bowie was born. A huge fresco has been painted on a wall in his honor. At the same time, heavy metal was beginning to find its audience, with the Kinks' You Really Got Me and, above all, the growing success of Led Zeppelin.
The punk explosion and its descendants
The end of 1976 saw the punk explosion, with the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned wiping the slate clean of the musical past. Their slogan: " No Elvis, Beatles or The Rolling Stones in 1977 ". Influenced by the American punk scene and artistically based on the do-it-yourself principle, punk bands offered a wild, committed rock sound. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols came out in 1977 , and London Calling by The Clash followed in 1979. The 100 Club is a legendary concert venue, having hosted the 100 Club Punk Festival, Britain's first punk festival. Today, it still plays host to numerous bands from the independent scene. In the wake of this explosion, fashions came and went on London's stages and clubs with increasing speed. Post-punk, ska, new wave, neo-romantic, gothic and rockabilly followed in rapid succession. Electronic music and pop became increasingly important. Bananarama, Culture Club, Wham and the Pet Shop Boys all dominate the charts.
Britpop and pop-rock
In 1995, Britpop exploded in England, and an essentially media-driven battle raged between Mancunians Oasis and Londoners Blur. By this time, the scene had moved to the Camden district. To recapture some of this rock atmosphere, push open the door of The Devonshire Arms or The Good Mixer pub. Blur, Madness and Amy Winehouse all cut their teeth there. Pete Doherty was a regular, and some great bands play there regularly. Before her untimely death, Amy Winehouse had made headlines with her soulful voice, her penchant for alcohol and her numerous stints in rehab. As a tribute to her, her statue stands proudly in the middle of Camden Market. Among the legendary pubs, The Hope and Anchor, in Islington, where the 1970s pub rock scene and much of the new wave scene got their start, is a must. The Stranglers, U2, Joy Division and The Cure have all performed here. For fans, the photograph used for the cover of (What's The Story) Morning Glory, Oasis' second studio album, was taken in Berwick Street, Soho. London's big stages have often been associated with great bands: the Hammersmith Apollo and Motorhead's furious concerts, Queen's live show at Wembley Stadium, with one of Freddie Mercury's last performances.
True to its tradition, London's music scene is constantly renewing itself. Coldplay and Placebo have become benchmarks. And the singer Adèle has broken all records for record sales. Today, attention is focused on South London, around the Windmill, a punk rock club in Brixton that launched Fat White Family and Shame, the young shoots of London rock.
UK garage and grime
The music scene is constantly evolving, drawing on all the country's influences. As far back as the early 1990s, Talvin Singh and the Asian Dub Foundation mixed jungle rhythms (from electronic and Jamaican-influenced sound systems ) with traditional Indian music. Over the past few years, UK garage and 2step, genres that incorporate influences from Jamaican reggae, drum'n'bass, house and electro-dance, have been gaining momentum on the music scene. So Solid Crew, The Streets and Grant Nelson popularized this style of music at the turn of the millennium, while Ms Dynamite (Niomi McLean Daley) and Dizzee Rascal offer a derivative of the genre, grime. Grime is a cultural exception. A veritable British version of rap, grime blends hip-hop, Jamaican dub, drum'n'bass and all manner of electro. In the space of several decades, the genre has gone mainstream, and its stars are now international icons such as Skepta and Stormzy. Alongside grime, another genre was born in Croydon, South London: dubstep. This dark, cold mutation of dub, steeped in UK garage, techno, ambient and trip hop, has been popularized by young producers who have become headliners such as James Blake, Mount Kimbie, Burial and Pinch. To hear it, try your luck at Oslo in Hackney or Fabric in Farringdon. Eskimo Dance has also been a reference point for the genre. Today, its programming is more diversified. UK garage has established itself as one of the musical revelations of the new millennium. And England has finally discovered its own hip-hop culture, definitively free of American influence.
The London jazz scene
London is traditionally associated with rock, but little with jazz. This lack of historical tradition has resulted in a particularly lively jazz scene. In London's cellars, jazz has joined forces with afrobeat, jungle, techno, grime and even punk to create a new sound, far removed from its traditional framework. This absence of reference allows him to break free of all rules and codes. Shabaka Hutchings, Moses Boyd, Ezra Collective, Nubya Garcia and Kamaal Williams are the new names to remember. For a taste of this music that's unlike anything you've ever heard, head to Mau Mau Bar on Portobello Road, Bull's Head in Barnes or the Total Refreshment Centre in Dalston. Alternatively, you can choose to attend Jazz re:freshed, an annual festival named after the music label that organizes it. For a more classic experience, head to Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, a landmark jazz club in Soho, opened in 1959.
If you're a musician, take a detour to legendary Denmark Street, a paradise for guitarists in particular. In the stores, you'll have the chance to try out some vintage or particularly rare guitars. And you can't go to London without visiting a record store. Reckless Records and Sister Ray Records, on Berwick Street, are two of the best. The former offers a wealth of rarities, while the latter is renowned for its completeness. Rough Trade, on Nothing Hill, is the record store of the label of the same name, which has produced much of the British independent scene, from the Libertines to Joy Division. A mythical place.
The dance
With the Royal Ballet, England boasts one of the world's most famous ballet companies. Founded by Minette de Valois in 1931, it has been based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden since 1946. This company, constantly seeking artistic innovation, combines the tradition of classical ballet, with renowned dancers such as Alina Cojocaru and Marianela Núñez, and a world-renowned orchestra.
Other venues such as Sadler's Wells, home to Vic-Wells Ballet, are particularly renowned for the quality of their performances. But you can also turn to smaller, specialized venues such as The Place and Trinity Laban. And if you'd like to take a few dance classes while you're here, head for Danceworks Studios in the West End, which caters for all levels, from beginner to advanced, or Pineapple Dance Studios, which offers summer workshops.
Theater and musicals
From classical to avant-garde, every style is represented in London's theaters, and it would be surprising not to find something to suit your taste among the city's profusion of creations. Close to Trafalgar Square, the West End is London's theater district. With more than 15 million admissions in 2018, it has overtaken Broadway as the center of English-language theater. Its model is that of a totally private theater, where programmers have nonetheless succeeded in bringing the general public into the theaters. The finest theaters in the area were built at the beginning of the twentieth century, following the destruction of the city's slums. The big hits take center stage for several years running. Le Roi lion, Les Misérables and Le Fantôme de l'Opéra have become classics. Remarkable theaters include Fortune Theatre in Russell Street, with The Woman in Black, Wynham's, with Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag, and Garrick, which hosted the premiere of David Mamet's Bitter Wheat, starring John Malkovitch. Tickets are quite expensive. So when you book your show, make sure you know where you'll be sitting. London theaters are often quite old too. While some seats are considerably less expensive, it's also possible that the stage is partially hidden by obstacles. Try your luck at the TKT box office in Leicester Square, which offers ticket discounts of up to half price on the day of the performance. After the show, it's possible to meet the artists, who are often available. Be patient and wait outside the theater with the autograph hunters.
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, on the banks of the River Thames, is a near-identical replica of Shakespeare's Elizabethan theater. Rebuilt in 1997, the theatre's program stops in autumn and resumes in May. Its unique feature is that it is semi-enclosed and circular. During the day, only natural light illuminates the stage, and for night-time performances, daylight-like lighting is used. A permanent exhibition traces the history of the venue, and also looks back at Shakespeare's life and artistic career.
If you like comedy shows, head for The Comedy Store, a Soho club founded in 1979. The venue owes its name to The Comedy Store, its Los Angeles counterpart and home to all the alternative comedy of the 1980s, which club creator Peter Rosengard had visited the previous year.
