Where there’s music, there’s meaning. And where there’s meaning, there’s heated debate about who’s right and who’s wrong.

Sometimes the symbolism is clear, like in Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending; it beautifully depicts a soaring bird, brought to life by the solo violin. Joanna Marsh’s In Winter’s House draws from a fairy-tale like setting of light and dark text. Other pieces leave their narratives open to interpretation, like Coleridge-Taylor’s Four Noveletten (translated as ‘short stories’) which lets listeners’ imaginations run wild.

Meaning can also be attached retrospectively. Take Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings – written in the 19th century, it was intended to provide light entertainment and background music for social gatherings. Today, aviation enthusiasts might identify it with piña coladas and getting caught in the rain, all thanks to British Airways adopting it as their boarding music.