The first episode examined Sir Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor.
[2] The programme does not have a presenter, but features a montage of interviews interspersed with clips of the work in question.
One is usually a musicologist, conductor or performer who discusses the background to the work or composer, the other contributors are people who have a personal story connected to the piece.
[3] For example, a 2010 episode on Gabriel Fauré's Requiem featured Fauré biographer Jessica Duchen discussing the history of the work; veteran choral conductor Sir David Willcocks, who reflected on his experience in the artillery during World War II; Christina Schmid, widow of Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid GC; and Paul Hawkins, vicar of St Pancras New Church, who organised a performance the weekend after the 7 July 2005 London bombings.
[4] Soul Music has been broadcast for 30 series, as of 2024,[ref] and has featured works as diverse as "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins, George Butterworth's A Shropshire Lad Rhapsody, Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" and the hymn "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind".