Soul Music

Cerys Matthews delves into the archives to put together a specially curated mixtape of her favourite stories from across 25 series of the BBC Radio 4's Soul Music.

Each episode of Soul Music takes a different piece of music - it might be a pop song, or a hymn, or a piece of classical music or world music - and looks at why it moves us and what it means to different people. Cerys's choices include Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, Mozart's Requiem in D Minor, Bob Marley's Redemption Song, Puccini's La Boheme and Sam Cooke's A Change is Gonna Come.

Producer: Mair Bosworth.

How Kraftwerk's classic album Computer World has changed people's lives.

On their first wedding anniversary, David Sanborn and Jennifer Huber remember their Kraftwerk themed celebrations.

Ramona Gonzales from the band Nite Jewel recounts how a car crash and a chance encounter with Computer World changed the course of her life.

And Andy McCluskey from Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark recalls the Kraftwerk concert that inspired his musical career.

Kraftwerk were forged in the shadow of the Second World War, out of a desire to create a new, German music. Uwe Schütte from Aston University explains how Computer World embodies the politics of this time and points the way to a computerised future.

Brian Carney recalls how the album's glamour and sheen changed his horizons in the industrial town of St Helens.

And in South Central Los Angeles Greg Broussard, aka Egyptian Lover, shows how this album brought love into his life.

Life, love and an electronic future as experienced through the music of this pioneering German band.

Producer: Melvin Rickarby

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2018.

Boys Don't Cry by The Cure is, on the surface, a tribute to teenage angst and a slice of pop perfection.

Lol Tolhurst, the band's drummer, wrote the song with his band mates in Robert Smith's parents' house extension.

Poorna Bell saw the song's lyrics echo her husband's struggle with expressing his emotions, and describes the devastating impact which that can have.

Runner Derek Redmond recalls the moment he lost his 'game face' at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, and Sara Pacella and Jeffrey Axt chart the changing fortunes of a giant Boys Don't Cry poster.

Producer: Sally Heaven.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2018.

JS Bach wrote his cantata Ich Habe Genug for the Feast of the Purification of Mary to be performed in Leipzig on 2nd February 1727.

The work is a retelling of the story of the old man Simeon who, waiting in the temple, was presented with the baby Jesus. As he held the baby in his arms, in Bach's version he says:

It is enough.

Oboist George Caird recalls playing Ich Habe Genug at his father's funeral.

Theologian Paula Gooder recalls the effect of putting her new born baby into the arms of an elderly relative.

Danish music therapist Lars Ole Bonde tells how this music provided vital solace for him as a teenager growing up with a father suffering from depression.

American Susan Dray remembers how the Cantata helped her when she was grieving for her baby. And tenor Ian Bostridge wonders why we never feel that we have "enough".

Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact

Producer: Rosie Boulton

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2018.

"If you've never heard of Bob Marley then you must be living under a rock" - Neville Garrick, Bob Marley's Art Director and friend.

At the time he wrote 'Redemption Song', circa 1979, Bob had been diagnosed with the cancer in his toe that later took his life. It is considered one of his greatest works and continues to inspire generations of Marley fans across the world.

For Grammy Award Winning artist John Legend, it's become an anthem for addressing the criminal justice system of America.

'Musicians without Borders' practitioner Ahmed al 'Azzeh finds the song inspires him to work towards a better life in the Palestinian Territories.

For Jamaican Poet Laureate Lorna Goodison, it is a reminder to continue Marley's call to 'sing these songs of freedom' and for Bob Scott, it will forever be heard in memory of his nephew Dominick who lost his life during the 2004 Tsunami.

Featuring interviews with:

Neville Garrick

Producer: Nicola Humphries

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2017.

"O' Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining..." and so begins the gentle carol of reflection that has touched the lives of listeners around the world.

For The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, it's the carol that lifted his spirits as he lay in a London hospital battling pneumonia. It is also the hymn that inspired a fellow patient to find faith. In Philadelphia it is the song that outreach worker Asteria Vives sang when she took Christmas to the homeless, whilst for singer and songwriter Katie Melua it's the carol that awoke her love of music as an 8 year old child in Belfast. And for Tymara Walker it's the Christmas family favourite which went viral when she sang it on a Washington subway, eventually reaching a worldwide audience of over 5 million.

Featuring choral conductor and composer Bob Chilcott.

Sandy Denny was just 19 years old when she wrote 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes?', her much-loved song about the passing of time.

Soul Music tells the story behind the song and speaks to people for whom it has special meaning.

Record producer Joe Boyd and founder member of Fairport Convention Simon Nicol remember Sandy and her music. We speak to musicians who have covered the song, including folk legend Judy Collins and the singer Rufus Wainwright, about what the song means to them.

We hear from people whose lives have been touched by the song, including the singer-songwriter Ren Harvieu, who suffered a back break in a freak accident and found strength in the song during her recovery.

And neuroscientist and best-selling author David Eagleman explains why the years seem to fly past ever more quickly as we grow older.

Also featuring contributions from Sandy Denny's biographer Mick Houghton and Dr Richard Elliott, Senior Lecturer in Music at Newcastle University.

Producer: Mair Bosworth

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2017.

You Are My Sunshine was written in or around 1939 and was adopted by the then governor of Louisiana, Jimmy Davies, who recorded and used it as his campaign theme song.

It has since been recorded by more than 400 artists, from Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash to Aretha Franklin and Bryan Ferry.

A mother and daughter tell their story of how the song helped the daughter's recovery after a catastrophic car crash, and how it has come to symbolise her struggle to rebuild her life after being in a coma for several months.

A resident of 'Tornado Alley' and author of The Mercy of the Sky tells the story of a devastating tornado that hit a town in Oklahoma in 2013, killing several schoolchildren, but how all the toddlers in a nearby daycare centre survived.

The staff comforted them by singing You Are My Sunshine as the storm destroyed the building. And pensioner Alice Kennedy fondly recalls a friend from the Irish Pensioners Choir in London, who used to sing the song and add his own cheeky lyrics.

Music historian: Paul Kingsbury

Producer: Maggie Ayre

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2017.

Wagner's peaceful Siegfried Idyll was written to thank his wife after the birth of his son Siegfried.

On her birthday in 1870, she awoke to find an orchestra on her staircase performing the music for the first time.

It's music which celebrates family relationships, and we hear from people whose lives and relationships have been touched and changed by this remarkable piece.

Cellist Nick Trygstad explains how the music conjures up scenes of domestic life and helped him cope with his homesickness when he arrived in the UK.

Karen West recalls a 50th birthday treat - a trip across lake Lucerne with her father, to visit Wagner's villa.

For Tim Reynish, the music has a special connection with his son - when William was born he recreated the first performance on the staircase of his Birmingham home; many years later he conducted the music at his son's memorial concert.

And Roberto Paternostro recalls a historic performance in Germany when he took a group of Israeli musicians to perform Wagner's music for the first time at Bayreuth - the opera house built by Wagner, and later frequented by Adolf Hitler.

Producer: Melvin Rickarby

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2017.

"Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens".

Guests from around the world share their special memories of The Sound of Music classic 'My Favourite Things'.

Written by Rodgers and Hammerstein in 1959, this deceptively simple song has travelled the globe to comfort and enthral children the world over.

Iranian Astronaut and philanthropist Anousheh Ansari's first encounter with this musical classic was in her native language of Farsi. It's a melody she held dear to her during years of unrest through the Iranian revolution and the war that was to follow. It's also the song that travelled with her as she realised her childhood dream of exploring outer space.

For vocal coach Heather Mair Thomas 'My Favourite Things' evokes memories of a happy Cornish childhood, growing up with her musical family. It has also become a reminder to always look for the good in life - come what may.

Meanwhile Jazz musician David Lieberman takes us on a journey through the 1960's New York club scene to the night where an encounter with John Coltrane's version of 'My Favourite Things' changed his life forever.

Plus Sound of Music fan Emma Poulton-White relives her very special wedding day that was topped off with a 'copper kettle' .

Featuring Tom Santopietro author of 'The Sound of Music Story'.

Producer: Nicola Humphries

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2017.