{"id":43132,"date":"2024-05-22T19:35:30","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T17:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fccac3f7-6dda-4b0b-bf8e-0cec202f32cd"},"modified":"2024-05-22T19:39:58","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T17:39:58","slug":"music-about-sport-eight-of-the-best-works-inspired-by-sporting-endeavour","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/music-about-sport-eight-of-the-best-works-inspired-by-sporting-endeavour\/","title":{"rendered":"Music about sport: eight of the best works inspired by sporting endeavour"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 22 May 2024 at 17:35 PM<\/p>

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We’re looking forward to an epic summer of sport, featuring – among other highlights – the Euro 2024 football championship, Wimbledon, the US Open and of course the 2024 Olympic Games and Paralympics in Paris. So, as sporting fever mounts, we have gathered some of the best pieces of music about sport. Don the running shoes and press play as we run through some of the most rousing, inspirational or just plain beautiful pieces of music about sport.<\/p>

Olympic Games music: the key role played by music across Olympic history<\/a><\/strong><\/li>
Best Olympic music of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>
Best music about sport<\/h2>
Claude Debussy: Jeux<\/em> (1913)<\/strong><\/h3>Debussy<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s captivating Jeux<\/strong><\/em><\/a> was premiered by the Ballets Russes<\/a><\/strong> just two weeks prior to the riotous debut of Stravinsky<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s The Rite of Spring<\/em><\/a><\/strong>. The short ballet pays witness to three young people searching for a lost tennis ball at dusk, ending with a sinister conclusion. The music is in a swift triple-metre, often interrupted by syncopation and rubato.<\/p>
<\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-arthur-honegger-rugby-1928\"><strong>Arthur Honegger: <em>Rugby<\/em> (1928)<\/strong><\/h3><p>Honegger\u2019s <em>Rugby<\/em> (<em>Mouvement Symphonique No. 2<\/em>) is an orchestral tone poem representing a game of rugby through the passing of a musical theme from one section of the orchestra to another. The dichotomy of dissonance and consonance reflects the struggle of the game, and the final passages glorify the winner\u2019s victory.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Arthur Honegger: Rugby (H. 66) (1928)\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XhsEir3gvXE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p\/><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-jean-sibelius-the-lonely-ski-trail-1925\"><strong>Jean Sibelius: <em>The Lonely Ski Trail <\/em>(1925)<\/strong><\/h3><p>Our next piece of music about sport takes us deepo into the snowy wastes of Finland. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/jean-sibelius\">Sibelius<\/a><\/strong>‘s evocative piece <em>The Lonely Ski Trail<\/em> is scored for speaker and piano and is based on a poem by Bertel Gripenberg. The piece rotates themes of loneliness and mortality around skiing and brings them to the fore with syncopated rhythms and wistful <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-a-melody\">melodies<\/a><\/strong>. It is sometimes performed in a version for harp and strings.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sibelius Ett ensamt skidsp\u00e5r. A lonely ski trail\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eNQrrthwZcc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p\/><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mauricio-kagel-match-1964\"><strong>Mauricio Kagel: <em>Match<\/em> (1964)<\/strong><\/h3><p>Kagel\u2019s <em>Match<\/em> is a piece for two cellos and percussion. A game of tennis is represented through the two cello lines whilst the percussionist takes the role of the interfering referee.<\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/six-best-tennis-playing-composers\">Six of the best… tennis-playing composers<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/tennis-and-classical-music\">Game, set and match: 10 fascinating connections between tennis and classical music<\/a><\/strong> <\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Listen to our sporty tunes here:<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Sporty Classical Music\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/playlist\/4m1KQ6sjPf269RA8CPqaT7?si=OpU0bx3RR6aVRLCrelwYew&nd=1&dlsi=86c4399da8354c9d&utm_source=oembed\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p> <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-more-best-music-about-sport-skating-football-and-more\">More best music about sport: skating, football and more<\/h2><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-emile-waldteufel-the-skaters-waltz-1882\"><strong>\u00c9mile Waldteufel: <em>The Skaters\u2019 Waltz<\/em> (1882)<\/strong><\/h3><p><em>The Skaters\u2019 Waltz, Op. 183 <\/em>is probably the best known work by French composer \u00c9mile Waldteufel, along with one of the best loved pieces of music about sport. It evokes a frozen scene around the Seine in Paris. <\/p><p>Waldteufel contrasts the stately grandeur of a French horn line with flurrying scalic passages in the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-pieces-flute-our-top-picks\">flute<\/a><\/strong>, piccolo and violin parts. The use of sleigh bells and the triangle adds a seasonal touch to the piece.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mark-anthony-turnage-the-silver-tassie-1997-9\"><strong>Mark-Anthony Turnage: <em>The Silver Tassie <\/em>(1997-9)<\/strong><\/h3><p><em>The Silver Tassie<\/em> is an opera based on a play of the same name by Se\u00e1n O’Casey. Set during the First World War, the opera opens with local sporting hero Harry as he accepts a prize (the Silver Tassie) for his achievements. The plot goes on to document his demise at the hand of experiencing the tragedies of war.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-charles-ives-yale-princeton-football-game-1898\"><strong>Charles Ives: <em>Yale-Princeton Football Game<\/em> (1898)<\/strong><\/h3><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/charles-ives\">Charles Ives<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Yale-Princeton Football Game is the perfect encapsulation of his shared passion for music and sport, and truly one of the best and most evocative pieces of music about sport in the repertoire. <\/p><p>As a Yale graduate, the composer returned to the university for the game, the experience of which he wanted to express afterwards in music. Like in Honegger’s <em>Rugby<\/em>, the use of instrumentation characterises the different players on the pitch.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Charles Ives - Yale Princeton Football Game (1898)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mqsX4TnXtNw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-erik-satie-sports-et-divertissements-1914\"><strong>Erik Satie: <em>Sports et divertissements<\/em> (1914)<\/strong><\/h3><p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/topic\/erik-satie\">Satie<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s <em>Sports et divertissements<\/em> is a collection of 21 piano miniatures, each presented alongside a short poem. Each depict a sport or leisure activity, and Satie uses music programmatically to reflect the characteristics of each of the games. A bouncing ball in tennis can be heard in the short <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-isstaccato\">staccato<\/a><\/strong> quavers; the smooth waves under a yacht, meanwhile, come across in legato quavers. It’s one of the best pieces of music about sport as it’s so imaginative and atmospheric in its various depictions of sporting activity.<\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/byrdle-and-wordle-classical-music-words-you-might-need-to-help-you-with-the-twitters-favourite-word-games\">Byrdle and Wordle: classical music word suggestions for Twitter’s favourite word games<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Erik Satie Sports et Divertissements\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rA-y3MdZcmM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p\/><p><strong><em>Need a playlist to listen to when you go for a run? We’ve got <a href=\"https:\/\/embed.music.apple.com\/gb\/playlist\/classical-music-to-run-to\/pl.2c05e2b567334c23ac72af40d60d3c3e\">just the playlist here<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p> <\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Published: Wednesday, 22 May 2024 at 17:35 PM We’re looking forward to an epic summer of sport, featuring – among other highlights – the Euro 2024 football championship, Wimbledon, the US Open and of course the 2024 Olympic Games and Paralympics in Paris. So, as sporting fever mounts, we have gathered some of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":43133,"template":"","categories":[1,17],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/05\/music-about-sport-eight-of-the-best-works-inspired-by-sporting-endeavour.jpg",625,469,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/05\/music-about-sport-eight-of-the-best-works-inspired-by-sporting-endeavour-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/05\/music-about-sport-eight-of-the-best-works-inspired-by-sporting-endeavour-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/05\/music-about-sport-eight-of-the-best-works-inspired-by-sporting-endeavour.jpg",625,469,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/05\/music-about-sport-eight-of-the-best-works-inspired-by-sporting-endeavour.jpg",625,469,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/05\/music-about-sport-eight-of-the-best-works-inspired-by-sporting-endeavour.jpg",625,469,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/05\/music-about-sport-eight-of-the-best-works-inspired-by-sporting-endeavour.jpg",625,469,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Published: Wednesday, 22 May 2024 at 17:35 PM We’re looking forward to an epic summer of sport, featuring – among other highlights – the Euro 2024 football championship, Wimbledon, the US Open and of course the 2024 Olympic Games and Paralympics in Paris. 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Best music about sport<\/h2>