Professor Shirley Thompson, Head of Music Research at the University of Westminster, was interviewed as part of the BBC mockumentary series Cunk on Earth.
Cunk on Earth follows Philomena Cunk – played by Diane Morgan - as she comically tells the story of the world’s greatest inventions and asks experts hard-hitting questions about humanity's progress.
Professor Thompson was interviewed by Philomena about the history of music, including medieval music, Beethoven, orchestras, and the music of the 1960s, and she featured in all episodes apart from the first.
Responding to Philomena’s question in episode three about whether Beethoven can be considered ‘good at music’, Professor Thompson said: “Yes, he’s considered to be the best composer of Western classical music ever!”
In response to a question by Philomena in episode four about how it is possible to ‘play an orchestra’, Professor Thompson commented: “The orchestra is not one particular instrument, the orchestra is a coming-together of lots of different types of instruments.”
Watch the full episodes of Cunk on Earth on BBC iPlayer.
Images: BBC
