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Your Hundred Best Tunes
1975 album of music from the show selected by Alan Keith (pictured)
GenreMusic
Running time60 minutes (9:00 pm – 10:00 pm)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Language(s)English
Home station
Hosted by
Created byAlan Keith
Original release15 November 1959 (1959-11-15) –
21 January 2007 (2007-01-21)
No. of episodesapproximately 2500

Your Hundred Best Tunes was a BBC radio music programme, always broadcast on Sunday evenings, which presented popular works which were mostly classical excerpts, choral works, opera and ballads. The hundred tunes which made up the playlist were initially selected by the creator and presenter, Alan Keith. Subsequently, tunes were suggested by requests and polls of listeners.[1]

History

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The Hundred Best Tunes in the World was broadcast on the BBC Light Programme from 15 November 1959 until 7 February 1960, when Alan Keith's personal list of one hundred had all been played. The title was changed from 14 February 1960. At this point it ran for half an hour from 10 to 10.30 pm, but from 25 December 1960 it was extended and moved to earlier in the evening, running from 7.35 to 8.30 pm. From 12 March 1961 it adopted the 9 to 10 pm time slot which it would occupy for the rest of its life, on four different networks: it moved from the Light Programme to the Home Service from 5 January 1964, and remained there after it became Radio 4 from 1 October 1967, but returned to what had been the Light Programme, now renamed Radio 2, from 5 April 1970.

The last show was transmitted on 21 January 2007 – a run of over 47 years. For most of this time, it was presented by the original creator, Alan Keith, who continued up to the age of 94. After his death in 2003,[2] Richard Baker presented the show.[3] Holiday guest presenters included Evelyn Barbirolli, Rosalind Runcie, Earl Spencer and Ursula Vaughan Williams.[4][5]

The show was cancelled by Lesley Douglas, Controller of Radio 2, who replaced it with a longer Melodies for You, presented by Alan Titchmarsh, which continued to play music from the same repertoire until it too was cancelled in 2011.[6] A special edition of the format was aired on 30 December 2011, presented by Alfie Boe, who played a selection from the 2003 poll plus some of his own favourites.[7][8]

The hundred best tunes

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Polls were taken to confirm the choice of the hundred best tunes. The results of the last poll in 2003 are below. The previous poll was in 1997 and the position of each work in that earlier poll is shown in the right hand column.[9]

Number Piece Composer Previous
1 "Au fond du temple saint" from The Pearl Fishers Georges Bizet 1
2 "Nimrod" from Enigma Variations Edward Elgar 16
3 "Va, pensiero" from Nabucco Giuseppe Verdi 22
4 Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor Max Bruch 12
5 Canon in D Johann Pachelbel 52
6 Clarinet Concerto in A Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 33
7 Symphony No. 6 in F (Pastoral) Ludwig van Beethoven 27
8 Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor Sergei Rachmaninoff 8
9 "Intermezzo" from Cavalleria rusticana Pietro Mascagni 23
10 The Lark Ascending Ralph Vaughan Williams –
11 Finlandia Jean Sibelius 2
12 Symphony No. 9 in D Minor 'Choral' Ludwig van Beethoven 5
13 The Planets Gustav Holst 9
14 "Ombra mai fu" from Serse George Frideric Handel 17
15 Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 25
16 Adagio for Strings Samuel Barber 14
17 Piano Concerto No. 5 in E Flat 'Emperor' Ludwig van Beethoven 24
18 "Méditation" from Thaïs Jules Massenet 39
19 Symphony No. 9 in E Minor From the New World Antonín Dvořák 36
20 Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Ralph Vaughan Williams -
21 Ave Verum Corpus Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 28
22 Miserere mei, Deus – Psalm 51 Gregorio Allegri –
23 "Hallelujah!" from Messiah George Frideric Handel 32
24 "Laudate Dominum" from Solemn Vespers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -
25 "Romance" from The Gadfly Suite Dmitri Shostakovich 29
26 Zadok the Priest, one of the Coronation Anthems George Frideric Handel 68
27 "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" from Solomon George Frideric Handel 38
28 Piano Concerto in A minor Edvard Grieg –
29 "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" Johann Sebastian Bach 85
30 Cello Concerto in E Minor Edward Elgar 6
31 "What is Life?" from Orfeo ed Euridice Christoph Willibald Gluck performed by Kathleen Ferrier 30
33 "Baïlèro" from Songs of the Auvergne Joseph Canteloube 18
33 The Blue Danube Johann Strauss II
34 "Listen to the Mocking Bird" Septimus Winner (as Alice Hawthorne) 42
35 "Song to the Moon" from Rusalka Antonín Dvořák 4
36 "Bells Across the Meadows" Albert Ketèlbey –
37 Symphony No. 3 (Organ) Camille Saint-Saëns –
38 Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 Edward Elgar 31
39 Violin Concerto in E Minor Felix Mendelssohn 40
40 "Che gelida manina" from La bohème Giacomo Puccini 89
41 The Four Seasons Antonio Vivaldi –
42 Symphony No. 5 Ludwig van Beethoven –
43 "Panis angelicus" César Franck 13
44 "I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls" from The Bohemian Girl Michael William Balfe –
45 Piano Concerto No. 1 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky –
46 "Grand March" from Aida Giuseppe Verdi 26
47 "A Londonderry Air" - this was the theme tune – traditional, arranged Percy Grainger 59
48 The Merry Widow Franz Lehár 67
49 "Nessun dorma" from Turandot Giacomo Puccini 51
50 Cantique de Jean Racine Gabriel Fauré –
51 "In Paradisum" from Requiem Gabriel Fauré –
52 Symphony No. 7 Ludwig van Beethoven –
53 Toccata and Fugue in D minor Johann Sebastian Bach –
54 Adagio in G minor Tomaso Albinoni –
55 "Judex" from Mors et vita Charles Gounod –
56 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Sergei Rachmaninoff –
57 Warsaw Concerto Richard Addinsell –
58 "Adagio" from Spartacus Aram Khachaturian –
59 Romeo and Juliet Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky –
60 "Don't Be Cross" from The Mine Foreman (Der Obersteiger) Carl Zeller 79
61 "Sanctus" from German Mass (Deutsche Messe) Franz Schubert 20
62 "I know that my Redeemer liveth" from Messiah George Frideric Handel 10
63 "Love Duet" from Madama Butterfly Giacomo Puccini 15
65 Fantasia on "Greensleeves" Ralph Vaughan Williams[10] –
65 Symphony No. 2 Sergei Rachmaninoff –
66 Fingal's Cave Felix Mendelssohn –
67 "Polovetsian Dances" from Prince Igor Alexander Borodin –
68 The Yeomen of the Guard Gilbert and Sullivan –
69 Schindler's List Theme John Williams –
70 Symphony No. 5 (Adagietto) Gustav Mahler –
71 "Sanctus" from St. Cecilia Mass Charles Gounod –
72 Scheherezade Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov –
73 "Old Comrades" ("Alte Kameraden") Carl Teike 11
74 The Marriage of Figaro Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart –
75 "Nuns' Chorus" from Casanova Ralph Benatzky (based on Johann Strauss II) 7
76 1812 Overture Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky –
77 "Jerusalem" Hubert Parry 58
78 "Morning Mood" from Peer Gynt Suites Edvard Grieg 47
79 Concierto de Aranjuez Joaquín Rodrigo –
80 "Dance of the Blessed Spirits" from Orfeo ed Euridice Christoph Willibald Gluck –
81 "Casta diva" from Norma Vincenzo Bellini –
82 The Nutcracker Suite Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky –
83 "Softly Awakes My Heart" from Samson and Delilah Camille Saint-Saëns 49
84 Eine kleine Nachtmusik Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart –
85 "Ave Maria" Franz Schubert 43
86 "O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi Giacomo Puccini –
87 Moonlight Sonata Ludwig van Beethoven –
88 "Sheep May Safely Graze" Johann Sebastian Bach –
89 "Where Corals Lie" from Sea Pictures Edward Elgar -
90 Concerto for Two Violins in D minor Johann Sebastian Bach –
91 Clair de lune Claude Debussy –
92 The Creation Joseph Haydn 77
93 Crown Imperial William Walton –
94 "On the Road to Mandalay" Oley Speaks –
95 Romance No. 2 in F major Ludwig van Beethoven –
96 The Watermill Ronald Binge 35
97 The Holy City Frederic Weatherly and Stephen Adams -
98 "Bredon Hill" from A Shropshire Lad Graham Peel –
99 William Tell Overture from William Tell Gioachino Rossini –
100 Hear My Prayer Felix Mendelssohn –

Other media

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Alan Keith published a book about the music played in the show in 1975.[11] The Decca Record Company published a successful ten-volume series of records with the title The World of Your 100 Best Tunes.[12] The BBC published a six-CD collection of the music selected by the final poll listed above.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bizet's The Pearl Fishers named nation's favourite tune". BBC Press Office (Press release). BBC. 12 October 2003. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Obituary: Alan Keith". The Daily Telegraph. London. 19 March 2003. ISSN 0307-1235.
  3. ^ Plunkett, John (10 January 2007). "Titchmarsh replaces Radio 2's Your Hundred Best Tunes". The Guardian. London. eISSN 1756-3224. ISSN 0261-3077.
  4. ^ Donovan, Paul (21 January 2007). "End Game". Radio Waves. The Sunday Times. London: News International.
  5. ^ Your 100 Best Tunes, Radio Rewind
  6. ^ Donovan, Paul (9 November 2008). "Ross and Brand: Radio 2 clean up their act". The Sunday Times. London: News International.
  7. ^ Pledger, Laura (2011). "Your One Hundred Best Tunes with Alfie Boe". Radio Times. Immediate Media.
  8. ^ "Hear Alfie Boe's 100 Best Tunes Tonight". TheatreSpy. Musical Theatre News. 30 December 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  9. ^ Your 100 Best Tunes, 1959 - 2007, The Radio 2 Preservation Society, 12 January 2007
  10. ^ "Ralph Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Greensleeves". Composers. Classic FM.
  11. ^ Keith, Alan (1975). Your Hundred Best Tunes. London: J.M. Dent & Sons. ISBN 0-460-04214-9. OCLC 1993474.
  12. ^ "Your Hundred Best Tunes". Gramophone. London. December 1975. p. 129. ISSN 0017-310X. Archived from the original on 4 June 2010 – via Wayback Machine.
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