Music History Courses in London and Online
City Lit offers an extensive programme of online music history and music appreciation courses with a focus on Western classical music, Folk, Jazz, Rock and Pop. There are new topics each year across a growing range of music styles and traditions.
To find out more about music history classes and to read our year-long selection of courses, please see the blog post Music history: your guide to our programme which lists our full programme of classes ordered by term, and by day of the week. You may then click on each title to read the full course outline.
Our staff are all professional musicians who teach, write, broadcast, lecture and perform widely. In recent years they have worked with BBC Radio 3, Gramophone magazine, Birkbeck (University of London), The Open University, Oxford and Cambridge University Press, Early Music, The Orchestra of the age of Enlightenment, The Wigmore Hall and the Aldeburgh Festival.
Many of our students learn for pleasure but some also come to enhance their careers: recent examples include board members of music charities, marketing and administration professionals from orchestras and gap-year students considering university entrance.
Feel free to browse our programme and do email us at music@citylit.ac.uk with any questions.
- Listening to the 20th century 2Course start date: Tue 13 Jan 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Edward HendersonUsing Alex Ross’s The Rest is Noise as a guide this course investigates art music in the second half of the twentieth century. This module covers the music of the Cold War culture wars, American experimental music, Minimalism and the use of technology. Break week: 17th February 2026.Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £215.00 Concession £188.00 - Symphonies in productionCourse start date: Wed 14 Jan 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Pauline GreeneStudy symphonies coming up in the 2026–27 season, we will discuss their composition, context and style, and then hear a selection ofmusical examples. NB Break week: 30 May 2027.Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £215.00 Concession £188.00 - Beethoven's ViennaCourse start date: Wed 14 Jan 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Katy HamiltonLudwig van Beethoven’s music has come to stand for the greatest and best-known aspects of the Western classical tradition. But who was he? And what exactly did he do? Come and discover more about this most famous Viennese composer.
Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £215.00 Concession £188.00 - Exploring classical music 3Course start date: Thu 15 Jan 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Neil LuckDo you want to know more about Western classical music? Explore selected topics and key works in Romantic and modern music on this informative 10-week course. Ideal for people with no specialist knowledge. NB: Break week 19 Feb 2026.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £153.00 - Exploring Bach's cantatasCourse start date: Thu 15 Jan 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Edward BreenExperience the enjoyment of Bach’s church cantatas through study of selected examples and exploration of both music and biography. Break week : 19 Feb 2026.Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £215.00 Concession £188.00 - Florence Price: an introduction to her musicCourse start date: Tue 24 Feb 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Katy HamiltonFlorence Price is one of the most important African-American composers of the early twentieth century. Come and explore the extraordinary life and musical legacy of this brilliant musician whose works are only just being ‘rediscovered’, 70 years after her death.
Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £104.00 - Great works: Arvo Pärt's PassioCourse start date: Mon 30 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Edward BreenEstonian composer Arvo Pärt (b.1935) is one of the most frequently performed classical composers of our times. Explore his setting of St John’s passion and learn about his compositional techniques.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £29.00 - Exploring opera 3
Course start date: Tue 21 Apr 2026 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Pauline GreeneJoin us to explore the history of opera over three enjoyable terms. In this third term we’ll explore Verdi, Wagner and the early 20th century. Break week: 27 May 2026.Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £215.00 Concession £188.00 - Music in the Weimar republicCourse start date: Tue 21 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Katy HomdenDiscover the colourful landscape of music in Germany between the wars. Break week: 26 May 26.Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £215.00 Concession £188.00 - Madrigals: a brief historyCourse start date: Thu 23 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Edward BreenDive into the charismatic world of madrigals and discover a world of nuance and reflection. Break week: 28 May 2026.Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £215.00 Concession £188.00 - Exploring classical music: module 3 Course start date: Mon 28 Apr 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Edward BreenDo you want to know more about Western classical music? Explore selected topics and key works in Romantic and modern music on this informative 10-week course. Ideal for people with no specialist knowledge. NB: Break week 5 & 26 May 2025.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £125.00 - Music in the 21st century: the first 25 years Course start date: Tue 29 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Edward HendersonWe are now 25 years into the 21st century. This course is a guide to concert music and new composition of the century so far.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £99.00 - Exploring classical music: module 1 Course start date: Thu 1 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Neil LuckDo you want to know more about Western classical music? Explore selected topics and key works in Medieval to (early) Baroque music on this informative 10-week course. Ideal for people with no specialist knowledge. NB: Break week: 20 Feb 2025. - Music and the Jungian psyche Course start date: Fri 2 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Nadia PerezAn invitation to consider music and the psyche from a Jungian perspective. Investigate how we listen to and make meaning of music, both literally and with a symbolic attitude. Study and discuss different aspects of music and link them to Jungian principles, such as musicking and active imagination.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £104.00 - Operas in production Course start date: Thu 1 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Pauline GreeneLooking at operas coming up in this season, we will discuss their composition, context, controversies and style, and then hear the story of the opera through musical examples. Break week: 29 May 2025
NB Break week: 29 May 2025.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £167.00
Can't see a course you want?
Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.
Add me to waiting list