Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Classical Music, Sunday 22 November 2015, 9pm

Catherine Bott asks, 'Who was Saint Cecilia?'

Tonight on Saint Cecilia’s Day, Catherine Bott asks: 'Who was Saint Cecilia and why is she the patron saint of music?'

To mark this auspicious day in the musical calendar, Catherine features music dedicated to St. Cecilia by composers as varied as Handel, Purcell, Finzi, Gounod and Herbert Howells.

There are also pieces from Benjamin Britten (who was born on St. Cecilia’s Day), and an offering from the Academy of Santa Cecilia of Rome, one of the world's oldest musical institutions, founded in 1585.

Gallery: Academy of Santa Cecilia - its history in pictures >