David Starkey's Music and Monarchy DVD

Presented by renowned historian David Starkey, this epic new BBC series reveals how British Kings and Queens shaped the story of the nation's music: as patrons and tastemakers and even as composers and performers.

It uncovers the role of the crown in the careers of our greatest composers - from Purcell and Handel to Parry and Elgar; and features exclusive performances of the nation's favourite music, in the historic locations where the monarchy first enjoyed it - from Westminster Abbey and King's College Cambridge to Buckingham Palace. This is the music of ceremony, pageantry and power; music composed for coronations and jubilees, thanksgiving and political expediency.

"Making this series has been a delight, it has forced me to see historical problems in a quite unexpected light It is a royal pageant in music, and thanks to the magic of television, one we can all now take part in." David Starkey