HistoryExtra
type: channel
link: https://www.historyextra.com
description: Home of Britain’s bestselling history magazine and award-winning podcast
date: 2025-08-06T08:01:07.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: The Age of Spectacle: Live Aid at 40
items: My history hero: Richard Coles chooses Lorenzo Da Ponte (1749–1838)
items: From a scandalous threesome to classical stardom: the actress who found redemption in Handel’s Messiah
items: Troubadours: everything you wanted to know
items: How Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has been an ode to peace around the world
items: When was the first Eurovision and who won? Plus 6 facts on the history of the song contest
items: Drag: a British history
items: A history of song: from Schumann to Sting
items: Amazing Grace: a story of salvation and slavery

The Age of Spectacle: Live Aid at 40
type: item
date: 2025-08-06T08:00:21.000Z
subject: 20th Century
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: A big day in history
subject: Historical events
description: When Bob Geldof exhorted audiences to fill Wembley Stadium and empty their pockets for famine relief in Ethiopia, he changed the face of charity fundraising – and of live music. On its 40th anniversary, David Hepworth – one of the BBC presenters on the day – explores the legacy of Live Aid
encoded: If not quite the moon landing or the shooting of JFK, 13 July 1985 remains a day on which most people who were alive remember exactly where they were – a day marked by a seismic social and cultural shift. The defining moment came around seven o’clock in the evening. Queen, a rock band whose star had seemed to be on the wane, was performing ‘We Will Rock You’ at Wembley Stadium. The audience seemed almost possessed – overwhelmed at simply being part of the occasion. Frontman Freddie Mercury pointed the cameraman at the crowd – more than 70,000 people clapping in perfect synchrony, hands above their heads. In this instant was born a new age of musical performance that would be notable as much for what things looked like as for the way they sounded. The road to today’s special-effects-packed, big-ticket concert experience was laid at Live Aid. The Age of Spectacle started here. Essential viewing What was to climax with a TV event that everybody watched because they wanted to began with a TV event that many watched because they had little choice. That was Michael Buerk’s report from the camps on the plain of Korem in Ethiopia’s Tigray region where, in October 1984, many thousands were dying as a result of famine and war. Bob Geldof was at home on the evening of Buerk’s broadcast – because his career as the lead singer of The Boomtown Rats was no longer quite as chart-busting as it had been. Moved and enraged by what he saw, he took the prodigious energy that would ordinarily have been put into plugging a new single, and dragooned his pop mates into singing on a charity record. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2025/07/GettyImages-90764827-2c6c58c.jpg" width="1772" height="1181" alt="A man in a stripey shirt stands around with several young children. The children are thin, barefoot and mostly dressed in cut-offs" title="Photojournalist Mohamed Amin and BBC reporter Michael Buerk at Korem relief camp, Ethiopia, in 1984. Buerk’s report on…

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My history hero: Richard Coles chooses Lorenzo Da Ponte (1749–1838)
type: item
date: 2025-07-18T07:30:08.000Z
creator: York Membery
subject: Georgian
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: History hero
description: Broadcaster, author and clergyman Richard Coles chooses Lorenzo Da Ponte as a history hero
encoded: In profile Lorenzo Da Ponte was an opera librettist, poet and Catholic priest. He wrote the libretti for a string of operas by various composers, including three of Mozart’s best-known works: The Marriage of Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787) and Così fan tutte (1790). After a spell living in England, he became a professor at Columbia University in New York City. When did you first hear about Ponte? I discovered Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro when I was 18, and instantly fell in love with it. When I got to know the libretto in English, I realised just how funny and clever it was, and thought: “I wonder who wrote it?” That’s when I discovered Lorenzo Da Ponte. What kind of man was he? He was full of life and literature, and liked adventure and misadventure. Born a Jew, he became a Christian priest after his father converted to Roman Catholicism. He had several children, took a mistress and was found guilty of running a brothel. He was friends with Casanova as well as working with Mozart. He was a grocer in London before running away to New York City to escape his debts – and became professor of Italian literature at Columbia College (now University). What a life! Read more | 10 milestones in the history of western music What made him a hero? First, the quality of his work. Librettists sometimes get overlooked; for instance, Burt Bacharach is rightly acclaimed while his lyricist, Hal David, gets rather forgotten, even though they were equal partners. Similarly, Mozart’s great operas wouldn’t be what they are were it not for Da Ponte, who was immensely gifted. Second, his colourful life story. There’s something irrepressible about him that I admire. To me, Da Ponte is a bit of a Cinderella figure, because very few people know of him, whereas everyone knows who Mozart is. I’m intrigued by the way that he hides behind a brighter light [Mozart], even though his life was just as bright in its own way. What was his finest hour? His libretto for The Marriage of Figaro…

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From a scandalous threesome to classical stardom: the actress who found redemption in Handel’s Messiah
type: item
date: 2025-06-27T14:31:40.000Z
creator: Elinor Evans
subject: Georgian
subject: Membership
subject: Period
description: Susannah Cibber’s journey from abuse and scandal to a role in the debut of Messiah is one of the most remarkable stories in music history. Elinor Evans spoke to Charles King, author of Every Valley: The Story of Handel’s Messiah, to reveal how an actress embroiled in a salacious courtroom drama became the emotional heart of one of the most enduring pieces of Western music
encoded: When George Frideric Handel’s Messiah was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, the audience could not have anticipated the weight of emotion the work would carry. Now one of the most beloved compositions in the classical canon, Handel’s Messiah is an oratorio with powerful choruses and solos that tells the story of Christ – from prophecy and birth to passion and resurrection. The German composer hoped his new work would not just entertain, but cause an awakening of the soul in those who listened, to bring about, as he saw it, a kind of redemption through art. Listen on the podcast | Handel's Messiah: the scandalous birth of a classical masterpiece On the night it debuted as part of a concert to raise funds for the poor, perhaps no one better personified this narrative of suffering and redemption better than one woman central to the work’s debut: Susannah Cibber. Cibber was a celebrated actress and contralto, who gained a name for herself in the mid-18th century for her remarkable stage presence. But by the time she arrived in Dublin, she was infamous for another reason: a scandalous court case that had laid bare the intimate details of her personal life. As Messiah debuted, “she was notorious,” explains historian Charles King on the HistoryExtra podcast. “Everyone knew intimately these quite embarrassing details of her sexual life.” The rise and fall of Susannah Cibber Born Susannah Arne in 1714, she was raised in the Covent Garden area of London, which by the early 18th century was an area famous for its theatres and music halls. Though her father and grandfather were upholsterers by trade, a musical vein ran through her family. Her elder brother, Thomas Arne, would later compose Rule, Britannia!, and another brother also trained as an actor and singer. Though she sang from an early age, Susannah was never taught to read music (Handel would later coach her through her singing parts note by note). Susannah would soon find her calling in the theatre, making he…

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Troubadours: everything you wanted to know
type: item
date: 2025-04-27T06:30:18.000Z
creator: Emily Briffett
subject: Medieval
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Everything you wanted to know about history (podcast series)
description: Linda Paterson answers your questions on the innovative poets and composers of the Middle Ages
encoded: Composing songs of courtly love and war in the High Middle Ages, the troubadours were the poet-musicians of western and southern Europe – especially southern France. But were they really the lovesick wandering minstrels popular culture would have us believe? Or was there more to their artistry? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Linda Paterson answers your top questions on the troubadours and their enduring poetic and musical legacy. Linda Paterson is the author of The Troubadours (Reaktion Books, 2024) Buy now on Bookshop.org Buy now on Amazon Buy now on Waterstones

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How Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has been an ode to peace around the world
type: item
date: 2024-05-28T15:18:24.000Z
subject: General Modern
subject: Membership
subject: Period
description: From the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars to the fall of the Berlin Wall, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has served as a symbol of hope and unity for 200 years. Bronwen Everill examines the piece’s legacy through five key performances...
encoded: The Ninth Symphony bursts into life Theater am Kärntnertor, Vienna, Austrian empire 7 May 1824 When Ludwig van Beethoven completed his Ninth Symphony in the early months of 1824, he gave voice to humanity’s desire to make order out of chaos, to overcome division, and to create joy through brotherhood. Over his lifetime, the wars and revolutions that shook Europe had transformed politics; now the composer wanted to offer a cultural transformation through his music. Beethoven had first begun writing his last, great masterpiece – the world’s first choral symphony – after receiving a commission from London’s Philharmonic Society in the November of 1822. But although London had commissioned the work, admirers in Vienna published an open letter calling for Beethoven to premiere the symphony there instead. Vienna was the ideal location for the piece’s first outing. As well as being familiar territory for the composer (he had lived there on and off for much of his adult life), the capital had also been the setting for the 1814–15 Congress of Vienna – the series of diplomatic meetings that had sought to create a lasting peace after the Napoleonic Wars. The symphony’s final movement – requiring the services of four vocal soloists and a full chorus – had been written to include words from Friedrich Schiller’s 1785 poem An die Freude (‘Ode to Joy’), and its message of “all men becoming brothers” thus felt fitting. Read more | What was the global impact of the Napoleonic Wars? But despite the piece’s bold statements, the first performance was informal by modern standards. Vienna did not have its own concert hall in 1824, and Beethoven was instead restricted to using the modest Theater am Kärntnertor. Furthermore, many of the performers were amateurs rather than professionals, and there was only time for two full rehearsals before the symphony received its premiere on 7 May 1824. The performance could have easily been a disaster, but when the final movement reached its conclusion…

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When was the first Eurovision and who won? Plus 6 facts on the history of the song contest
type: item
date: 2024-05-09T16:07:46.000Z
creator: Ellie Cawthorne
subject: 20th Century
subject: Period
subject: TV interest
description: When did the Eurovision Song Contest first take place? What was the first competition like? And has it always been rocked by voting scandals? Ellie Cawthorne speaks to Dean Vuletic, a leading expert on the history of Eurovision…
encoded: Why did the Eurovision Song Contest begin? Eurovision was started by the European Broadcasting Union in 1956. “I think a lot of people mistake the establishment of Eurovision as some sort of postwar expression of Europeanism, a desire for European integration,” says Dean Vuletic, a leading expert on the history of Eurovision. “But it wasn’t really about that.” In fact, the creation of the show was driven by commercial imperatives. “In the 1950s, television technology was still nascent and there was a lot of scepticism across Europe as to whether it was worth investing in. The European Broadcasting Union was formed a way to pool resources in developing television technology, and in the production of programmes that could be shared. And the Eurovision Song Contest happened to be one of those programmes.” On the podcast | Eurovision: a political history When was the first Eurovision, and what was it like? The first competition took place in 1956, in a theatre in Lugano, Switzerland. Seven countries entered, with two songs each. People were formally dressed in tuxedos in evening gowns, and performers were accompanied by an orchestra. “Today, this seems rather quaint”, says Vuletic. “But it doesn’t mean however that they were singing old fashioned songs. For example, one of Germany’s entries, ‘So Geht Das Jede Nacht’ by Freddy Quinn, was in an early rock and roll style.” View oEmbed on the source website And politics were at play from the very beginning, says Vuletic. “This automatically sent a message to the rest of Europe about how the West German state was trying to reinvent its identity following the Second World War.” The voting was done in secret and not made public. The contest was won by a Swiss singer, Lys Assia, who sang a chanson in French called ‘Refrain’. She returned to the contest again to represent Switzerland in 1957 and 1958. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2022/05/GettyImages-51141054-8e920f8-e1715269321395.jpg" wid…

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Drag: a British history
type: item
date: 2024-02-12T07:37:24.000Z
creator: Matt Elton
subject: General History
subject: Membership
subject: Period
description: Jacob Bloomfield explores the long-lasting popularity of British drag, from Victorian music hall to Second World War revue shows
encoded: Drag is an art form that's seen a great deal of success – and a little controversy – in recent years. Yet, as Jacob Bloomfield argues in his recent book, Drag: A British History, it's also entertained British audiences for decades, stretching back to the music halls of the Victorian era and revue shows of the Second World War. Matt Elton caught up with Jacob to find out more. Jacob Bloomfield is the author of Drag: A British History (University of California Press, 2023) Buy now on Bookshop.org Buy now on Amazon Buy now on Waterstones

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A history of song: from Schumann to Sting
type: item
date: 2024-02-09T10:09:40.000Z
creator: Jon Bauckham
subject: General History
subject: Membership
subject: Period
description: John Potter charts the evolution of songs and songwriting over the past thousand years, covering medieval troubadours, English folk music and more
encoded: Songs can trigger a range of emotions in their listeners: intense joy, sadness or even disgust. But how did this type of musical composition develop and become what it is today? The acclaimed singer and author John Potter takes Jon Bauckham on a tour through the history of song in Europe, covering everything from the works of Schumann and Sting to the musical troubadours of medieval Provence. View Green Video on the source website

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A history of song: from Schumann to Sting
type: item
date: 2024-01-05T07:38:53.000Z
creator: Jon Bauckham
subject: General History
subject: Membership
subject: Period
description: John Potter charts the evolution of songs and songwriting over the past thousand years, covering medieval troubadours, English folk music and more
encoded: Songs can trigger a range of emotions in their listeners: intense joy, sadness or even disgust. But how did this type of musical composition develop and become what it is today? The acclaimed singer and author John Potter takes Jon Bauckham on a tour through the history of song in Europe, covering everything from the works of Schumann and Sting to the musical troubadours of medieval Provence. John Potter is the author of Song: A History in 12 Parts (Yale University Press, 2023) Buy now on Bookshop.org Buy now on Amazon Buy now on Waterstones

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Amazing Grace: a story of salvation and slavery
type: item
date: 2023-12-20T17:18:35.000Z
creator: Dr David Musgrove, FSA
subject: General History
subject: Membership
subject: Period
description: Professor James Walvin tells the story of Amazing Grace, the hymn that was written by a one-time slave trader and ballooned to become a global phenomenon
encoded: John Newton was a slave-ship captain in the 18th century. However, he was also a devout Christian who went on to become a famous preacher and wrote the globally recognised hymn Amazing Grace. James Walvin talks to David Musgrove about how Newton and his contemporaries made sense of the contradiction of slavery and Christianity, and how Amazing Grace has taken on a life of its own after him. James Walvin is the author of Amazing Grace: A Cultural History of the Beloved Hymn (University of California Press, 2023) View Green Video on the source website

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