Have you ever wanted to know more about classical music but felt too intimidated to ask? Have you ever been at a concert and enjoyed it, but felt like you didn't totally know what was going on?
Or, are you a classical music enthusiast who wants to know more about your favourite works, or explore some pieces you haven't heard before?
Each session is independent so why not try one out?
Music Appreciation (Friday @Semitone)
Advanced Music Appreciation (Wednesday online)
Semitone's music appreciation classes might be for you. It's informed, but informal; complete but casual. If you want to develop a better appreciation of classical music, then you have to listen to it. Peter introduces each piece by saying something about the composer's place in the development of music, how the piece came to be written and what to listen out for before we listen to it. We listen together, and share our own reactions to each piece.
For any questions about music appreciation classes, please email info@semitonestudios.com or ring 07715 643110.
Music Appreciation
This course is for everyone - you needn't have any prior knowledge of classical music in order to fully enjoy this course.
If you want to develop a better appreciation of classical music, then you have to listen to it. Peter introduces each piece by saying something about the composer's place in the development of music, how the piece came to be written and discussing what to listen out for before we listen to it. We will share reactions to each piece.
Current Session
Day/Time/Location:
Friday/10:30am-12pm/@Semitone Studios
Cost: £96 for all 12 sessions or £9 for each individual session.
(If the cost is a hardship, please let us know and you may pay what you can afford.)
Each session is independent so why not try one out? Either come along on a Friday morning or contact Peter: peter@semitonestudios.com or 07715 643110 to book or for more information.
The programme for the fourth quarter of 2026
introduces as usual a varied selection of works from the last 300 years or so.
Friday 03 October: Jan Dismas Zelenka, Concerto à 8 concertante in G Major, ZWV 186 and Hipocondrie à 7 concertante in A major, ZWV 187, both written during a visit to Prague in 1723 by this Dresden based contemporary of JS Bach.
Friday 09 October: Joseph Haydn, Symphony No 92 in G major, Oxford, written in 1789 for Paris but then played in Oxford in 1791 when Haydn was awarded an honorary degree.
Friday 16 October: Ludwig van Beethoven, String quartet No 1 in F major, Opus 18, No 1, one of the set of six quartets written between 1798 and 1800 commissioned by Prince Lobkowitz.
Friday 23 October: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Orchestral suite No 3 in G major, Opus 55, which was a tremendous success at its first performance in St Petersburg in January 1885.
Friday 30 October: Antonín Dvořák, A Hero’s Song, Opus 111, the last orchestral work he wrote, first performed in Vienna in 1898 conducted by Gustav Mahler.
Friday 06 November: Benjamin Britten, Symphony for cello and orchestra, Opus 68, written in 1963 for Mstislav Rostropovich who gave the first performance in Moscow conducted by the composer.
Friday 13 November: CPE Bach, Symphonies Wq182: No 1 in G major, No 2 in B flat major and No 3 in C major, from a remarkable set of six symphonies composed in Hamburg in 1773.
Friday 20 November: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano concerto No 24 in C minor, K.491, which was particularly admired by Beethoven and Brahms
Friday 27 November: Johannes Brahms, Serenade No 1 in D major, Opus 11, which was his first orchestral work, written in 1858 at the same time as his first piano concerto.
Friday 04 December: Jean Sibelius, Symphony No 4 in A minor, Opus 63; Sibelius wrote ‘It stands as a protest against present-day music. It has absolutely nothing of the circus about it.’
Friday 11 December: George Gershwin, An American in Paris, inspired by his time in Paris in 1925 and Variations for piano and orchestra on `I got rhythm’, written for a concert tour in 1934.
Friday 18 December: Margaret Bonds, Montgomery variations, written in 1964 in response to events in the civil rights movement including the Montgomery bus boycotts protesting against segregation on the buses, and dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr.
Advanced Music Appreciation
This course is for listeners who have at least basic knowledge of classical music - terminology, form, etc. Please enquire if you are unsure.
These Classes will resume in September 2026
Day/Time/Location: Wednesday/2:00pm-4:00pm/Online via Zoom
Cost: £140 for all twelve sessions or £14 for an individual session.
(If the cost is a hardship, please let us know and you may pay what you can afford.)
Each session is independent so why not try one out? Contact Peter Eccles to book and for login details for the sessions which will be held using Zoom, or for more information: Peter@semitonestudios.com or call: 07715 643110.
These online sessions set out to explore a range of classical music composed over the past three hundred years or so, including music in a variety of genres: orchestral, instrumental, choral and songs. The aim to is to include some well-known pieces but also to explore less familiar repertoire; there is such a wealth of music that we do not normally hear.
The theme for each course is chosen to provide a framework for this. Pieces will be introduced and then we will listen to them and share reactions.
Much of core repertoire of classical music was written in Germany or Austria and this has a big influence on music in other countries. But many other countries have developed some sort of national musical tradition.
This course will explore the music written in different countries and how it has developed.
Wednesday 09 Sept: French music - 1
Wednesday 16 Sept: French music - 2
Wednesday 23 Sept: Bavarian music
Wednesday 30 Sept: Hungarian music
Wednesday 07 October: Russian music - 1
Wednesday 14 October: Russian music - 2
Wednesday 21 October: Mid term break
Wednesday 28 October: Scandinavian music
Wednesday 04 November: British music - 1
Wednesday 11 November: British music - 2
Wednesday 18 November: British music - 3
Wednesday 25 November: American music - 1
Wednesday 02 December: American music - 2