Jungkook Blocks Jason Aldean's Controversial Song From No. 1

20 Of The Best Movies Soundtracks Of All Time

"Garden State" won a Grammy over Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill Vol 2" soundtrack. "Garden State" premiered in 2004. Fox Searchlight Pictures

Zach Braff wore a lot of hats during the making of "Garden State," including actor, writer, director, and compilation producer. In a 2004 interview with IGN, Braff said that he personally chose the rock, folk, indie, and pop songs to match the vibe of the rom-com. 

"Essentially, I made a mix CD with all of the music that I felt was scoring my life at the time I was writing the screenplay," he said.

With tracks by bands like Coldplay, The Shins, Iron & Wine, and Simon & Garfunkel, the album became an instant classic and won a Grammy over Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill Vol 2" and the "Shrek 2" soundtrack.

"The Lion King" is the best-selling animated feature soundtrack of all time. "The Lion King" premiered in 1994. Disney

Disney has enough classics to fill its own soundtrack list, but when you're talking iconic compilations, you have to kneel before the King.

"The Lion King" soundtrack starts with all the familiar musical numbers from "Circle of Life" to "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," then it flows into four score tracks by Hans Zimmer before ending with three renditions by Elton John. 

As of 2014, it was the best-selling soundtrack of all time for an animated feature with over 7.8 million copies sold.

The "Space Jam" soundtrack includes a rap performed by Bugs Bunny and written by Jay-Z. "Space Jam" premiered in 1996. AP

If you are a child of the '90s, odds are you owned "Space Jam" on VHS and had the soundtrack on CD, cassette tape, or both. The theme song by Quad City DJs is still played at parties and sporting events over two decades later.

The soundtrack also includes appearances by Monica, Seal, Coolio, LL Cool J, Method Man, Salt-N-Pepa, Barry White & Chris Rock, and a rapping Bugs Bunny with rhymes courtesy of Jay-Z.

The "Shrek" album was nominated for Grammy and BAFTA awards. "Shrek" premiered in 2001. DreamWork Animations

Thanks to DreamWorks, Smash Mouth will forever be associated with ogres, talking donkeys, and computer-animated fairy tales.

The soundtrack for the 2001 film featured the band's hit single "All Star" as well as their cover of the Neil Diamond tune, "I'm a Believer." There was also a second cover of the song performed by Eddie Murphy, a cover of "Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainwright, and songs by Baha Men, Leslie Carter, and The Proclaimers.

The album was nominated for a BAFTA Award for best film music and a Grammy Award for best compilation soundtrack album for a motion picture, television or other visual media.

Though "The Big Chill" premiered in the '80s, its soundtrack has a Motown feel. "The Big Chill" premiered in 1983. Summit Entertainment/Criterion Collection

Walk into almost any record store and you'll find a copy of "The Big Chill" in their soundtrack section. The mix of rhythm and blues, soul, and a smidge of classic rock has become a time capsule that captures the real vibes of the 1960s and 1970s without feeling like a cheesy infomercial.

"The Harder They Come" soundtrack introduced reggae to the world. "The Harder They Come" premiered in 1972. The Harder They Come/New World Pictures

"The Harder They Come" was by no means a global smash when it was released in 1972 (1973 in the US). According to The Los Angeles Times, however, it does have the distinction of being the film that "brought reggae to the world." 

The legendary Jimmy Cliff starred in the film and provided half of the songs on the soundtrack. He was joined by other major stars of the musical genre including The Maytals, Desmond Dekker, and The Slickers.

Prince's "Purple Rain" gave him his first No. 1 song and first No. 1 album. "Purple Rain" premiered in 1984. Richard E. Aaron / Getty Images

Prince's semi-autobiographical film "Purple Rain" came equipped with an album that, thanks to songs like "Darling Nikki," "When Doves Cry," and the titular "Purple Rain," has sold over 20 million copies to date. 

It also won Prince his first three Grammys and sent him to the top of the charts. According to the Recording Academy, it is the third-best-selling movie soundtrack in history.

"O Brother, Where Art Thou?" won several awards at the CMAs and album of the year at the Grammys. "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" premiered in 2000. YouTube/movieclips

What "The Harder They Come" did for reggae in the '70s is arguably what "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" did for bluegrass and American folk music in the early aughts. 

Most of the tracks are modern recordings of period-accurate songs that effectively transported viewers back to the Great Depression.

The soundtrack won best album of the year and single of the year for "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow" at the CMAs. It also took home three Grammys, including album of the year in 2002. It has been certified octuple platinum by the RIAA and was also included on NPR's list of "The Decade's 50 Most Important Recordings."

The "Krush Groove" soundtrack features '80s icons like Run DMC, Sheila E, The Fat Boys, and LL Cool J. "Krush Groove" premiered in 1985. Krush Groove / Warner Bros.

One of the first films in hip-hop history, "Krush Groove" has a soundtrack that is packed with legends. Run DMC, Sheila E, The Fat Boys, Debbie Harry, LL Cool J, Kurtis Blow, and the Beastie Boys offer up pre- and early-Def Jam tunes that help tell the story of the record label, which was instrumental in shaping and sharing the new genre. 

With tracks like "I Can't Live Without My Radio" and "Holly Rock," Krush Groove puts together a collection of tracks that capture the culture of New York City around 1984.

"Top Gun" is a top-selling movie soundtrack. "Top Gun" premiered in 1986. Paramount Pictures

For some truly iconic soundtracks, it is virtually impossible to separate songs and their performers from the films they were used in. For generations of movie-goers, Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone," Berlin's "Take My Breath Away," and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by The Righteous Brothers are intrinsically linked with "Top Gun" and its high-flying bromance. 

Berlin won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for best original song in 1986. The soundtrack has sold over 10 million copies to date.

"The Bodyguard" soundtrack went 18-times platinum. "The Bodyguard" premiered in 1992. The Bodyguard / Warner Bros.

When Whitney Houston is the star of your film, of course, you let her co-executive produce the soundtrack and fill it with her music. Not only does the album feature "I Will Always Love You," "I Have Nothing," and "I'm Every Woman," but they're the first three songs on the tracklist. 

The project was an instant smash, selling a record 831,000 copies in its first week and going on to be certified 18-times platinum by the RIAA.

More than four decades of music are covered in the "Forrest Gump" soundtrack. "Forrest Gump" premiered in 1994. Paramount Pictures

Just as the title character takes viewers on a visual journey through the decades of his life, the soundtrack for "Forrest Gump" takes audiences on an aural journey through the popular music of the times. 

Marketed as "32 American Classics on 2 CDs," the soundtrack begins in the '50s with Elvis Presley and progresses to Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band in the '80s. Wilson Pickett, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, The Doors, The Supremes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Fleetwood Mac, and several others are included on the double album, which is certified 12-times platinum with over 6 million units sold.

For "Waiting to Exhale," Babyface enlisted the vocal talents of Whitney Houston, Patti Labelle, and Mary J. Blige. "Waiting to Exhale" premiered in 1995. Ron Galella, Ltd. / Getty Images

The tracklist for the "Waiting to Exhale" soundtrack is a who's who of '90s R&B. Babyface wrote and produced the entire album, with the exception of one song, and wrangled an array of vocal powerhouses: Whitney Houston, Patti Labelle, Faith Evans, Mary J. Blige, TLC, Toni Braxton, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Brandy, Sonja Marie, For Real, and Shanna.

The album sold 177,284 copies in its first week and spent several weeks near the top of the Billboard Top R&B Albums and Billboard 200 charts. It was also nominated for 11 Grammys.

"Black Panther" is a collaboration between Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson, and Kendrick Lamar. "Black Panther" premiered in 2018. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Some may argue that "Black Panther" is too new to already have an iconic soundtrack, which is fair. However, the collaboration between director Ryan Coogler, composer Ludwig Göransson, and Nobel Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar piqued audience interest when it was announced, so the passage of time is only relevant in regards to how it ages. 

Critics initially praised the album for its newness and "boundless soundscapes," and predicted that it would be remembered as one of the best of Kendrick Lamar's career, which is very high praise.

"Awesome Mix Vol 1," the "Guardians of the Galaxy" soundtrack, lives up to its name. "Guardians of the Galaxy" premiered in 2014. Disney/Marvel

Incorporating a playlist into a film and calling it "Awesome Mix Vol 1" only makes sense if the songs you choose are undeniably great. Fans of "Guardians of the Galaxy" were elated when the classic mixtape featuring Blue Swede, The Jackson 5, David Bowie, and The Runaways received an official release during the summer of 2014. 

The success of the film correlated to the success of the soundtrack, which stayed on the charts for 16 weeks and was the second-best-selling soundtrack of the year (No. 5 overall) behind Disney's "Frozen." According to The Wrap, it was the first soundtrack in history to reach No. 1 without a new song.

"Saturday Night Fever" won the Grammy for album of the year. "Saturday Night Fever" premiered in 1977. Paramount Pictures

The film is the ultimate depiction of the disco era, so naturally, the soundtrack had to be just as lively, flared, and covered in sequins. The BeeGees carried much of the load with energetic bops like "Stayin' Alive," "Night Fever," and "More Than A Woman." 

They were assisted by KC and the Sunshine Band, MFSB, David Shire, and Kool & the Gang. The soundtrack won the coveted Grammy for album of the year in 1979. Decades later, in 2012, it was added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress for preservation.

The "Pretty in Pink" soundtrack is pure '80s magic and youthful nostalgia. "Pretty in Pink" premiered in 1986. Paramount Pictures

John Hughes' beloved teen drama was named after a 1981 single by the Psychedelic Furs. A rerecorded version of the song appears on the soundtrack, which also includes legends like New Order, Echo & the Bunnymen, and the Smiths.

"If You Leave" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, which was written and recorded at Hughes' request, became a massive hit after it was featured in the final prom scene. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped cement "Pretty in Pink" as a zeitgeist-defining film.

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is a moody soundscape with gems from Lykke Li, Muse, and Bon Iver. "New Moon" premiered in 2009. Summit Entertainment

The "Twilight" saga is known for many things: sexy vampires, sexier werewolves, and a gripping game of baseball, to name a few. Improbably, it has also become known as a cult-classic franchise with indie-sleaze sensibilities.

One of the key elements that elevates "Twilight" is the collection of emo-era icons and rock bands that united to create its dark, moody soundscape. The second installment, "New Moon," boasts a particularly memorable lineup: Death Cab for Cutie, Thom Yorke, The Killers, Bon Iver, St. Vincent, OK Go, and Grizzly Bear, among others. 

Of course, the soundtrack's crown jewel is Lykke Li's original song "Possibility," which swirls around Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) as she sinks into a pit of depression.

The "Waves" soundtrack is a contemporary masterpiece that features Tame Impala, Frank Ocean, and SZA. "Waves" premiered in 2019. A24

Although "Waves" is not the best-known A24 film, it has been hailed as an "emotional typhoon" and "a domestic melodrama in an anguished key."

Indeed, the songs that echo the ebbs and flows of these characters are just as important as the decisions they actually make, if not more so. A24 itself has described the movie as "practically a musical."

The "Waves" soundtrack doubles as a modern teenager's playlist, featuring some of the biggest artists working today — many of whom are difficult to convince and expensive to hire, especially for an indie budget.

According to Trey Edward Shults, who directed and produced the film, it took a great deal of coordination, orchestration, and blind hope to put together the soundtrack of his dreams. But he was determined; he had written songs like Kendrick Lamar's "Backstreet Freestyle" and Kanye West's "I Am A God" into the script itself. He even managed to convince Frank Ocean, famously elusive, to clear the use of several songs at a reduced rate.

"I don't know what we would have done without Frank Ocean," music supervisor Randall Poster told the New York Times. "When we were able to get to get those songs, I think we breathed a huge sigh of relief: 'O.K., we have really the emotional spine that we've been looking for.'"

25 Best British Composers Of All Time

When, in 1904, the German critic Oscar Schmitz described Britain as 'Das Land ohne Musik' (The land without music), he was possibly trying to stir.

However, he did have a bit of a point – for all the efforts of Parry, Sullivan and co, Britain's output over the past century or two had been fairly paltry compared to that of his own country.

Schmitz's timing, though, proved deliciously misguided. His fellow German Richard Strauss had already started to sing the praises of Elgar – from whom two symphonies and a Violin Concerto would shortly follow – and within the next decade, Vaughan Williams would write his own first two symphonies plus the groundbreaking Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, while Holst would begin work on The Planets.

At the premiere of VW's Fantasia in 1910 were Howells and Gurney, just two of a flurry of fine composers who would drive British music on into the 20th century, and the work itself draws inspiration from the Renaissance, when Britain comfortably rivalled its European counterparts.

Today, the British composing scene is as strong as ever. But who are the greatest composers the country has ever produced? We asked 167 of today's leading international musicians to have their say, with five votes each, based on the criteria of originality, influence, technique and, of course, sheer enjoyability to listen to and perform. We then totted up the votes to draw up the following Top 25 British composers, in reverse order…

22= Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-94)

Born: Hertfordshire, England

When discussions of great 20th-century string quartet cycles come up, those of Bartók and Shostakovich are usually in pole position. The 13 quartets of Elizabeth Maconchy (left), however, deserve to keep similar company.

Written across half-a-century, Maconchy's quartets tend towards economy and drama, packing plenty of impact into short movements. They also mix influences from across Europe: the angular soundworlds of Bartók and Berg, the punch and pizzazz of Britten, and more lyrical sections evoking her own Irish heritage. Now add to that a wealth of orchestral works and songs, plus a handful of operas including the quirky and risqué The Sofa of 1956, and you have quite a portfolio.

In her own words: 'For me, the best music is an impassioned argument.'

22= Herbert Howells (1892-1983)

Born: Gloucestershire, England

Hearing a critic shout 'Thank God that's over' in response to the world premiere of his Second Piano Concerto in 1925 may have put the brakes on Howells's (below) career as an orchestral composer, but it also effectively set him in a new direction, in which he would prove pre-eminent.

Channelling his efforts into choral music, he would produce a string of masterful liturgical settings for the likes of St Paul's and Gloucester cathedrals and King's College, Cambridge, in each instance shaping the phrasing and texture of the music to suit specifically the building it was written for.

His masterpiece, meanwhile, was the large-scale Hymnus Paradisi, spurred by the tragic death of his nine-year-old son Michael in 1935. He did not entirely abandon non-choral music, however… and who could possibly not like a composer who, in 1933, wrote a ballet called Penguinski?

In his own words: 'I have never been able to compose a note of music without either a place or a building in my mind.'

22= Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)

Born: London, England

When Coleridge-Taylor's Hiawatha trilogy of cantatas received its first complete performance at the 1900 Birmingham Festival, the composer received a standing ovation – a rather more enthusiastic reaction than Elgar got at the same festival for his Dream of Gerontius.

Hiawatha made the composer a star here and in the US, though not rich, thanks to his selling of the copyright. Its success has also perhaps overshadowed his otherwise rich output, which has all the heady Romanticism and storytelling flair of Dvořák and Grieg (whom he admired greatly), not to mention Stanford, under whom he studied at the Royal College of Music.

In his own words: (On music) 'Should it not rather come from the heart as well as the brain?'

We named Coleridge-Taylor one of the best black composers you should know about

22=Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006)

Born: Northampton, England

Arnold is best remembered today for his film scores – The Bridge on the River Kwai, anyone? – or perhaps his light music, which ranges from jaunty, pungent Scottish, Welsh, Irish and English Dances to concertos for all manner of unusual instruments (A Grand, Grand Overture demands three vacuum cleaners, one floor polisher and, er, four rifles).

All of this is instantly likeable, and marks Arnold out as one of classical music's most imaginative (and theatrical) orchestrators. Arguably, however, his greatest music is in his symphonies, from the Sibelian Third to the angst-ridden Fifth, the latter more revealing of an often troubled life than any number of hoover concertos.

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In his own words: 'Music is the social act of communication among people, a gesture of friendship, the strongest there is.'

19= Oliver Knussen (1952-2018)

Born: Glasgow, Scotland

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Although widely known for his colourful and exuberant opera based on the children's book Where the Wild Things Are (1983), Knussen was essentially a miniaturist. Arguably he was the spiritual heir of Ravel, sharing the Frenchman's mastery of orchestration (Knussen gaining insight from his father being the LSO's principal double bassist) and a childlike, almost naive delight in music in all its aspects, including at its most advanced. Knussen's Flourish with Fireworks (1988) is a splendid introduction to his vivid, painterly approach to orchestral sound.

In his own words: 'To me, real music is real music when you're not sitting around thinking it's music – it actually takesyou over.'

19= Helen Grime (b.1981)

Born: York, England

Frequently drawing on corresponding artforms such as painting and literature, the music of Helen Grime, with its intricate, multi-layered textures and expressive yet focused character, is becoming increasingly popular.

A student of composers Julian Anderson and Augusta Read Thomas among others, the Scot has applied herself to an array of forms, from large-scale orchestral pieces to concertos, choral, chamber and solo works. Highlights include 2009's A Cold Spring, Two Eardley Pictures, premiered at the BBC Proms in 2016, and 2017's Woven Space for Simon Rattle and the LSO.

In her own words: 'It often feels like you have to learn composing anew for each piece.'

19= Jonathan Dove (b.1959)

Born: London, England

Jonathan Dove has made up for what was a relatively late start as a composer (in his thirties) with a prolific output across genres. The voice sits at the heart of his compelling oeuvre, which is perhaps most at home on the opera stage, though it has often reached far beyond it thanks to community projects, works for children and operas for television.

His seeming need to reflect the human condition and provide social commentary, always with a thread of shining optimism, has resulted in captivating works about climate change (Gaia Theory, Hojoki and others), war (In Damascus) and refugees (Flight).

In his own words: 'We all have music in our heads; I'm just lucky that I'm able to write it down.'

15= Judith Weir (b.1954)

Born: Cambridge, England

Imagination and eclecticism are hallmarks of Judith Weir's writing. This is the composer who managed to compress the story of Harald Hardrada's vast, doomed invasion of England in 1066 into a ten-minute piece for a single soprano. Whether for opera, orchestra, string quartet or a dozen more intriguing configurations, Weir's music is distinguished by a joy in storytelling, an uncanny ability for getting straight to a tale's dramatic essence and some rich, imaginatively rendered soundworlds. Such qualities will surely have played a part in the Scot's appointment as Master of the Queen's (now King's) Music in 2014.

In her own words: 'I often wonder, if there were no deadlines, would anything ever get ended?'

15= Gustav Holst (1874-1934)

Born: Cheltenham, England

The Planets alone should be enough to propel Holst towards the top of this list – hugely original, brilliantly scored and globally popular, its influence on composers continues to this day, not least in film scores by the likes of John Williams. But there is also so much more to Holst.

For instance, his 1912 Beni Mora, inspired by a holiday in Algeria, foreshadows the minimalist movement by hypnotically repeating the same Arabic flute motif 163 times. Elsewhere, all manner of influences including folk and England's musical past infuse a richly varied CV that includes the mystery-filled tone poem Egdon Heath, the raucous ballet The Perfect Fool and the soul-stirring Hymn of Jesus for choir and orchestra.

In his own words: 'Music, being identical with heaven, isn't a thing of momentary thrills, or even hourly ones. It's a condition of eternity.'

15= John Dowland (c.1563-1626)

Born: London, England (probably)

The fashionable default mode of the Elizabethan age was melancholy; and, musically, the melancholic zeitgeist proved fertile territory for the composer of a pavan autobiographically designated 'Semper Dowland, semper dolens' ('Always Dowland, always grieving').

Among his most famous songs, after all, are 'In Darkness let me Dwell' and 'I saw my Lady Weep'; while the 'Lachrymae' ('Tears') pavan would furnish the starting point for Dowland's crowning glory in the realm of consort music: the Seaven Teares figured in Seaven Passionate Pavans. Master lutenist, preeminent song composer and man of the musical world thanks to experience gained in France, Italy and Denmark, little wonder that posthumously he was hailed as 'the rarest musician that this age did behold'. And a rich vein of wit and sparkle running through his music suggests grief was never the whole story.

In his own words: 'Who loves not music and the heavenly muse, that man God hates.'

15= George Benjamin (b.1960)

Born: London, England

Internationally recognised as one of the UK's leading opera composers, George Benjamin's music is notable among other things for its uniquely colourful splashes of timbre: Written on Skin (2012), for instance, includes parts for a glass harmonica and viola da gamba.

The tightly woven melodic development and inner voicing owes much to Benjamin's grounding as a pianist and conductor, as well as his studies with Messiaen – there's a strong European expressionist feel to orchestral works such as Palimpsests (2002). He continues to work regularly with librettist Martin Crimp, the writer he has collaborated with since his first opera, Into the Little Hill (2006).

In his own words: 'You have to be determined and patient being a composer, particularly today. Eventually some things slot into place.'

14 Ethel Smyth (1858-1944)

Born: Kent, England

While steeped in the style of Mendelssohn and Brahms, Ethel Smyth's forthright, vigorous and essentially optimistic voice shines through even her early chamber works of the 1880s.

That voice remained a constant even while she absorbed ideas from more advanced composers such as Richard Strauss. In her three-act opera The Wreckers (1904), Wagner looms large in the lovers' duet, yet it is driven by an authentic passion – apparently inspired by her unrequited love for the art patron Winnaretta Singer-Polignac.

This is preceded by the extraordinary Prelude to Act II, an orchestral seascape, followed by abrupt, Janáček-like declamation as young Jack pursues a suspected traitor. And there's even a premonition of Britten's Peter Grimes in the blood-lusting chorus which ends Act I…

In her own words: 'I feel I must fight for [my music], because I want women to turn their minds to big and difficult jobs; not just to go on hugging the shore, afraid to put out to sea.'

13 Frank Bridge (1879-1941)

Born: Brighton, England

Frank Bridge was long assumed to be a purveyor of charming suites and salon miniatures, only finding his unique voice following the trauma of World War I in works such as the pugnacious Piano Sonata (1924) and the mournful Oration for cello and orchestra (1930).

Now, thanks to recordings by the late conductor Richard Hickox and others, a much more significant yet long overlooked master has been revealed. The Hag, Bridge's 1902 song for baritone and orchestra, depicts a witch's ride with lurid and malevolent relish à la Musorgsky or Lyadov. By contrast, his beautiful yet melancholic Suite for Strings (1910) is a work of understated yet deep feeling – one that casts a new light on more celebrated works such as the orchestral suite The Sea (1911).

In his own words:'The happiest thrill I ever get is when the players are as sympathetic and enthusiastic as the audience.'

12 Harrison Birtwistle (1934-2022)

Born: Accrington, England

From the ragged lyricism of chamber works such as the Oboe Quartet (2010) to the raw immediacy of operas including Punch and Judy (1968) and The Minotaur (2008), Birtwistle's unusual soundworld made him a leading figure in British modernism.

His music, often inspired by ancient myths, features rhythmic spectacles – Harrison's Clocks (1997-98) for solo piano evokes ticking 18th-century maritime time-keeping – and dark, frenetic abstraction, as heard in Panic, the saxophone concerto written for 1995's Last Night of the Proms, the title of which accurately predicted its reception.

There is a disguised sense of pastoral, too: The Moth Requiem (2012) is an elegiac meditation on loss and climate change – imbued with thoughtful retrospection and the melancholia that is present in much of the English composer's later works.

In his own words: 'You don't like my music. Go away!' (to a critic)

10= Thomas Tallis (c.1505-85)

Born: Unknown

'Tallis is dead, and Music dies', mourned Byrd in his elegiac madrigal Ye Sacred Muses. Byrd's tribute to his recently departed friend neatly sums up the standing of a composer who, through remarkable adaptability coupled with immaculately honed craft, steered a steady course through the reigns of four monarchs – a period of dangerous religious upheaval.

During the brief rule of the Protestant Edward VI, Tallis adapted his music to suit Anglican demands for plain simplicity, while five years of the Catholic Mary I saw him revert to a more florid style in works such as the elaborate Missa Puer Natus est.

Perhaps his greatest achievements, though, date from the reign of Elizabeth I, including the 40-voice motet Spem in Alium and the exquisite Miserere Nostri, a work of extraordinary mathematical perfection. Catholic Tallis may have been, but the queen knew genius when she saw it, granting him and Byrd an exclusive licence to publish music.

Tallis's epitaph: 'As he did Lyve, so also did he dy,/In myld and quyet Sort (O! Happy Man).'

10= James MacMillan (b.1959)

Born: Ayrshire, Scotland

Photo by Simone Padovani/Awakening/Getty Images

In an age when religious belief is generally in decline, James MacMillan stands out as a resolutely Christian composer of Roman Catholic persuasion. Most of his choral music treats religious texts and themes, including the luminous motet O Radiant Dawn and his riveting St John Passion (2007).

His spirituality also suffuses the exultant breakthrough piece Veni, veni, Emmanuel, a percussion concerto premiered by Evelyn Glennie. In works such as The Confession of Isobel Gowdie, an orchestral elegy for a woman accused of witchcraft, his music also bears the strong imprint of his native Scotland. With operas, symphonies, concertos and chamber pieces also to his name, his body of compositions is formidable.

Renaissance vocal polyphony is a strong influence stylistically, as are skirling folk music elements. But it's above all acMillan's searing sense of melody, and his unwavering belief that music can make a social and spiritual difference, that mark him out as a modern musical master.

In his own words: 'My ideal listener for me is someone like myself, which means someone who's as thirsty and as ready for the power of transforming through music as I am.'

9 George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

Born: Halle, Germany

Thousands of football fans across the country regularly join together in the 'Hallelujah' chorus from Handel's Messiah (admittedly with altered words) to hurl abuse at opposition players and managers – an unlikely, though somehow apt, legacy for a composer who did so much to take music from aristocratic confines and bring it to a much wider audience.

Hailing from Germany then employed in Italy, Handel arrived in England with a pan-European bag of musical tricks that proved instantly appealing to his new home crowd. A string of Italian operas including Giulio Cesare in Egitto made him the toast of London, until John Gay's The Beggar's Opera lampooned the artform, at which point Handel turned to writing oratorios in English, with equal success.

The master of all occasions, he could do intimate delicacy, as shown in his many chamber works, every bit as deftly as big ceremonial showpieces such as Music for the Royal Fireworks and Zadok the Priest.

In his own words: 'Learn all there is to learn, and then choose your own path.'

'Are we allowed to include Handel?'

'Are we allowed to include Handel?' was a question regularly asked by our musicians when we invited them to vote. Though born in Germany, the great man moved to London in 1711 – aged 26 – and remained there for the rest of his life.

As well as composing the vast majority of his best known works while in Britain, Handel also established himself at the core of the royal ceremonial scene with works including The Water Music and Zadok the Priest, performed at every British coronation since George II. In 1727, he was made a British citizen, with a special act being passed in Parliament to allow this to happen, and his marble memorial enjoys pride of place at Westminster Abbey. He therefore definitely counts as British.

... Although we did name him one of the greatest German composers ever as well...

8 Thomas Adès (b. 1971)

Born: London, England

Thomas Adès has built a reputation for audaciousness and intellectual rigour. Bursting onto the scene in the 1990s as an enfant terrible with the chamber opera Powder her Face (1995) and the orchestral piece Asyla (1997), the pianist-composer-conductor and student of György Kurtág has continued to build on that with a huge range of operas, orchestral works, concertos, chamber and solo music, among them The Tempest, The Exterminating Angel, Polaris and the 'Concentric Paths' Violin Concerto.

Stylistically, his music is full of contradictions and whimsical imagination, but with an underlying seriousness of intent. He enjoys visiting and paying tribute to past forms and styles – sometimes literally quoting from previous composers – yet remaking that material afresh. In the words of Radio 3's Tom Service, he 'makes you hear things you thought you were familiar with, as if they were completely new'.

In his own words: 'I like the feeling of falling into a different era, not just in my music, but in any music.'

7 Michael Tippett (1905-98)

Born: London, England

Tippett courted controversy both in his music and in his life, and while he was respectful of his musical roots he pushed the envelope, sometimes to the bafflement of musicians and audiences alike. A Child of Our Time, perhaps his most famous work, was born out of Tippett's anger, sadness and frustration with an escalating war with Germany – one which he famously resisted serving in, instead doing time in prison as a result of his pacifism.

That pervasive streak of bravado, or imagination (call it what you will), has made him a hero for many, while his music, ever responsive to world events and musical trends, evolved along with him. Five operas, five string quartets, four symphonies, song cycles, concertos, sonatas… each work is forward thinking, sometimes daring, occasionally maddening, but rarely devoid of lyricism. Tippett was a composer who ploughed his own musical furrow, a true original.

In his own words: 'I am quite certain in my heart of hearts that modern music … is a form of truth and integrity for those who practise it honestly, decently and with all their being.'

6 William Walton (1902-83)

Born: Oldham, England

Walton's ability to stir the emotions, his fervent lyricism and fastidious orchestral colouring made him a natural heir to Elgar. That mantle held firm with patriotic duties for two coronations – 1937's Crown Imperial and 1953's Orb and Sceptre – while his innate flair for drama meant he was well suited to film scoring.

His cinematic exploits proffered concert favourites such as the Spitfire Prelude and Fugue (from the 1942 propaganda film score The First of the Few), while music for Laurence Olivier's Shakespeare films brought a pair of Oscar nominations. Despite a 60-year career, his output was relatively small – such was his perfectionism – and while he was revered in his own lifetime, his music was also gently reviled by some for being old fashioned. Two symphonies, important concertos (Viola, Violin and Cello) and a great cantata (Belshazzar's Feast) later, he is now rightly celebrated.

In his own words: 'It's just as difficult to overcome success as it is to overcome failure.'

5 William Byrd (c.1540-1623)

Born: Unknown

Although there were outstanding homegrown composers before him – Tallis, in particular –Byrd can reasonably be called the first authentic genius of English music.

This is partly due to the range of his achievement, and the politically turbulent circumstances under which he wrote. A Catholic himself, Byrd was forced to toggle between choral settings in Latin and English, as the reign of the Catholic Queen Mary yielded to that of the Protestant Elizabeth I.

Byrd created masterpieces for both the English and the Latin liturgy, including the vibrant, richly textured Great Service and the Masses for Three, Four and Five Voices. The mass settings, composed for gatherings of the Catholic faithful to perform in secret, are particularly exquisite creations, evincing a rare spiritual limpidity.

He also left a substantial body of music for keyboard instruments. Written in a variety of forms – grounds, galliards, pavans, fancies and variations – these are richly rewarding pieces betokening Byrd's fertile melodic imagination. Chamber music, songs and madrigals also flowed from his pen, and Byrd additionally played a key role as a pioneering music publisher. In sum, he raised the bar substantially on what an English musician could be, providing a formidable template for Purcell and others to follow.

In his own words: 'If thou bee disposed to pray, heere are Psalmes. If to bee merrie, heere are Sonets. If to lament for thy sins, heere are songs of sadnesse and Pietie.'

4 Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Born: Gloucestershire, England

Vaughan Williams. Photo: Vaughan Williams Estate

Given the enduring popularity of Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending, you might expect this grandfatherly purveyor of bucolic fare to be at the very top of our composers' list. And perhaps if this had been a poll of audiences rather than musicians that might have been the case.

Nonetheless, the powerful memory of a 'green and pleasant land' evoked in his most popular works plus a masterful adoption and adaptation of the country's rich musical past, most notably in the Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, still earns him a spot in the top five. And, of course, Vaughan Williams was so much more – his nine symphonies alone chart a path from glowing, wistful beauty to violent, anguished dissonance. And then there are the operas and ballets, the chamber music and vocal compositions, both religious and secular.

Like all the best composers, VW was an important historical and cultural figure, too, his love of Tudor music and English folksong representing a break from the Germanic tradition of Elgar and providing a distinctive voice for a Britain deeply affected by two devastating and society-shifting world wars. Harmonically, his works bear strong hallmarks of modal tonality and of the French impressionism of his contemporaries Ravel and Debussy – yet from this he derived an idiosyncratically 'British' sound.

In his own words: 'The art of music above all the other arts is the expression of the soul of a nation.'

3 Henry Purcell (1659-95)

Born: London, England

'Sometimes a hero in an age appears, but scarce a Purcell in a thousand years' observed one contemporary. Hyperbole of course, but the sheer breadth of Purcell's achievement recalls Mozart's verdict on Haydn: 'There is no one (else) who can do it all – to joke and terrify, to evoke profound sentiment… and all equally well.'

Fortuitously for Purcell, born on the cusp of the Restoration, he was able to take full advantage of the flowering of musical life following the demise of the Cromwellian Commonwealth. And he seized the advantage across pretty much all available genres. Like Monteverdi in Italy before him, he was adept at styles old and new.

The fantasias for viols offer a rich compendium of old-fashioned consort polyphony, while the more up-to-date sonatas in three and four parts 'faithfully endeavour a just imitation of the most famed Italian masters'.

Corralling French and Italian styles, he forged a language entirely his own, drawing potently on the music of his English predecessors. An effortlessly supple approach to word setting, rhythmic ingenuity, an incomparable harmonic palette with a flair for ear-bending chromaticism and an unfailing melodic facility are underpinned by a grasp of artifice that all unite in the first great opera in English: his Dido and Aeneas (c.1688). From ceremonial pomp and circumstance to the gravitas of the Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary, or from a simple song to the knockabout good humour of his semi-opera The Fairy-Queen, Henry Purcell – as Mozart might have agreed – is the English Haydn, the man who can assuredly 'do it all, and all equally well'.

In his own words: 'As poetry is the harmony of words, so music is that of notes; and as poetry is a rise above prose and oratory, so is music the exaltation of poetry.'

2 Edward Elgar (1857-1934)

Born: Worcestershire, England

For 20 years, Elgar's avuncular face adorned Bank of England £20 notes, and in 1985 his Sea Pictures was depicted on 34p stamps. His works have been used to advertise everything from ketchup to spring water, and he is an ever-present at ceremonies both of mourning ('Nimrod' on Remembrance Sunday) and celebration (Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 at the Last Night of the Proms). He is, in short, part-and-parcel of popular British culture.

Right from his own time, however, he has also had pan-European appeal, and for all his fond depictions of companions close to home in the Enigma Variations (1899), it was through German friends such as Richard Strauss and Fritz Kreisler, dedicatee of his Violin Concerto in 1910, that his fame stretched well beyond these shores.

Forget the erroneous British stiff upper-lip image, too – Elgar was not afraid to describe in words how his very soul was laid bare in his music, not least in the First and Second Symphonies (1908 and '11) that cemented his place among the greats. The achingly wistful lines of his 1919 Cello Concerto, meanwhile, describe the mood of both its composer and post-war Britain more eloquently than words ever could.

That concerto had an infamously shaky start, as did The Dream of Gerontius in 1900. Both, though, would soon take their place at European music's top table.

In his own words: 'My idea is that there is music in the air, music all around us; the world is full of it, and you simply take as much as you require.'

1 Benjamin Britten (1913-76)

Born: Lowestoft, England

And the greatest British composer of all time? Britten. He famously jolted the international music world with the 1945 premiere of his opera Peter Grimes. Yet Benjamin Britten had already proved himself to be more than simply a world-class opera composer, and would continue to do so in the remaining 30-or-so years of his career.

Performers and listeners have lately caught up with earlier works such as the plangently eloquent Violin Concerto (1939), written in response to the trauma of the Spanish Civil War, and the more modest yet potent melodies of his school song collection Friday Afternoons (1933-35).

What has perhaps most impressed musicians and audiences alike is Britten's ability to write effectively both for the largest scale – whether the War Requiem (1962), involving a full symphony orchestra and chorus as well as a chamber orchestra, three soloists, and off-stage choristers plus chamber organ – or the smallest, such as the Six Metamorphoses after Ovid for solo oboe (1951).

Or, to consider a different aspect of size, there's his repeated success as an opera composer, his two greatest achievements besides Peter Grimes being Billy Budd (1951) – notable in being not only a powerful and touching work in its own right but also the only successful full-length opera for an all-male cast – and The Turn of the Screw (1954), lean in its instrumental forces yet so rich in its variety of colour and atmosphere.

Britten's imagination – whether using conventional instruments, or mugs hit with a wooden spoon to suggest the first plinks of rain in Noyes Fludde (1958) – combined with his ability (aided by hard study) to write idiomatically for every instrument from French horn (1943's Serenade for tenor, horn and strings) to harp (A Ceremony of Carols) has resulted in some of his most hauntingly memorable music. His knowhow was equally evident in writing for the human voice – most famously that of his partner, the tenor Peter Pears, but also writing a deal of wonderful works for other voices, including soprano in Les illuminations and On This Island. At the same time, he typically sets his musicians a challenge, adding an extra layer of enjoyment in performing his music: for example, the tricky 7/4 time signature for the choristers in the 'Gloria' from his Missa Brevis, exhilarating once mastered.

Yet these technical challenges are all means to an end, and he could equally touch the heart with something extremely simple. There is the understated yet touching moment when the Madwoman in Curlew River finally sees the spirit of her dead son – principally just a harp ostinato, above which a piccolo pipes a haunting theme. Britten rarely wrote anything which did not have some expressive end, or at least character to engage both performer and listener.

In his own words: 'It is the composer's duty, as a member of society, to speak to and for his fellow human being

Who's missing?

Close… but no cigar - some surprising non-appearances

With any poll such as this, the names who didn't make it inevitably tend to raise as much of an eyebrow/scream of horror (delete as appropriate) as those who did.

Among those who might consider themselves unlucky not to make the top 25 are the late-19th-century stalwarts Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) and Hubert Parry (1848-1918), whose operettas and choral music remain as popular as ever (plus Parry's list of pupils reads like a who's who of British composing). Heading into the early 20th century, concert hall favourites Frederick Delius (1862-1934) and Arnold Bax (1883-1953) are notable by their absence, as is the sublime songsmith Gerald Finzi (1901-56).

Infamously snotty about her peers, Elisabeth Lutyens (1906-83) herself seems to have received similar treatment from today's musicians – not a single vote – despite some spikily inventive film scores.

Her fellow film composers such as Rachel Portman (b.1960), George Fenton (b.1949) and the ultra-versatile Richard Rodney Bennett (1936-2012) have similarly missed out. And heading back to the Renaissance, let's not forget John Taverner (c1490-1545), who set so much in motion in the early 16th century, and Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625), beloved by the one of the greatest pianists ever Glenn Gould, among many others.

Words by: Michael Beek, Terry Blain, Claire Jackson, Daniel Jaffé, Jeremy Pound, Paul Riley, Charlotte Smith and Steve Wright

50 Best Industrial Songs Of All Time

The post 50 Best Industrial Songs of All Time appeared first on Consequence.

Consequence's Industrial Week rolls on with our staff list of the genre's Top 50 songs. Keep checking back throughout the week for more lists, artist-driven content, premieres, essays, and more. Keep up with all of our Industrial Week content, including our Best Industrial Albums of All Time list, and check back for more lists, artist-curated features, essays, and more.

What makes a song "industrial?" It's a question we've often pondered this past week at Consequence throughout our ongoing celebration of the genre. Harsh and liberal use of distortion; the implementation of electronics and synths alongside rock instrumentation; a generally subversive and bleak world outlook… all viable identifiers for what we would consider industrial music.

To go a step further: What makes an industrial song truly great? When compiling our ranking of the Top 50 industrial tracks of all-time, we not only looked for the aforementioned sonic descriptors, but also took into account exterior factors, namely the song's influence and legacy in the grand scheme of the genre.

During industrial's formative years, a song like Caberet Voltaire's "Nag Nag Nag" and the work of Throbbing Gristle (i.E. "Hamburger Lady," "Hot on the Heels of Love") used post-punk and musique concrète as a launching point for more extreme sonic destinations. Meanwhile, iconoclastic act Einstürzende Neubauten sought to create a twisted form of dance music using whatever sounds available — power tools, machinery, oi