People listen to a wide variety of music in the UK, including classical, pop, jazz,
traditional folk, and opera as well as Latin, African, and Asian. There are also a number
of dance companies - ranging from ballet to modern.Every
generation has a favourite popular music group: in the 1960s it was probably "The
Beatles", a group of young men from Liverpool who became internationally famous for
songs which include Yellow Submarine. Recently, an all-girl band called "The
Spice Girls" has achieved similar international fame with hits like Spice Up Your
Life. Classical music is also popular, and Sir Michael Tippett and Peter Maxwell Davies are influential modern composers.
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| Traditional Morris dancers |
There are a number of traditional folk songs, including
Auld Lang Syne, which is sung on New Year’s Eve. The song was written by Scotsman
Robert Burns whose birthday (25 January) is celebrated as "Burns Night" by Scots
all around the world.
Scotland's national instrument is the bagpipe, or in Gaelic
piob-mhor (the great pipe). It originally came from the Middle East and is
mentioned in the Bible. There are a more than 30 different kinds of bagpipes, but the most
commonly known version in the UK is the Scottish Highland Bagpipe. When they arrived in
Scotland, bagpipes quickly became a part of Scottish life. Today pipers still play at
social occasions, including weddings, and modern rockbands such as "Runrig" use
bagpipes in their music.
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