My list of all music in Midsomer Murders…
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A wide variety of music is played in Midsomer Murders. I’m collecting all of it – except for the background score. First, I’ll list all pieces composed specifically for the series, regardless of genre. Then I’ll sort them by genre.
Music composed specifically for Midsomer Murders
- Agnus Dei (Jim Parker) (S01E02: Death of a Hollow Man)
- Libera Me (Jim Parker) (S05E03: Ring Out Your Dreams, 08×06: Hidden Depth)
- NN (‚Find your life / Why should all my love just turn away? / Pretending it’s not needed in my life / And why is love a game. / Even if I show…‘) (S07E04: Sins of Commission)
- NN (‚… banished from our heart is she / Firelight and sing refrain / Vanquish darkness with her name / Evil spirits…‘) (S07E06: The Straw Woman)
- Midsomer Rhapsody (probably Jim Parker) (S08E08: Midsomer Rhapsody, again as an Easter egg in S20E02: Death of the Small Coppers)
- NN (‚You gotta rock it in the cradle / Roll under the table / Never take it easy / Gotta live it nice and sleazy / Party till you’re drunk / Ain’t never gonna stop / Got nothing to lose / Sing the doll house blues with me / Well ,yeah, yeah, yeah,…‘) (After these ‚yeahs‘, Mimi dies from electric shock) (S10E04: The Axeman Cometh)
- The Ballad of Midsomer County (Seth Lakeman) (S17E03: The Ballad of Midsomer County)
- Film music for silent films (unknown) (S19E06: the Curse of the Ninth, again as an Easter egg in S20E02: Death of the Small Coppers)
- Michael Falconer‘s Ninth Symphony (unknown) (S19E06: The Curse of the Ninth)
Traditionals and children’s songs
- Auld Lang Syne (S06E02: Death and Dreams)
- Irish Jig – at the party, Troy plays the spoons (sorry, can’t recognise it) (S06E02: Death and Dreams)
- Sumer is icumen (Medieval English round) (S02E01: Death‘s Shadow, S09E01: The House in the Woods)
- Calon Lân (walisisches traditional hymn) (S10E05: Death and Dust)
- And the Green Grass Grows All Around (folk song from the Appalachians) (S12E05: Small Mercies) – it’s not a British song, but US-American
- Irish Reel – at the start of the Crazy Craft Race (sorry, can’t recognise it) (S12E05: Small Mercies)
- Drink to me only with thine eyes – Joyce and Cully listen to it at the concert (Ben John) (S13E04: The Silent Land)
- The North Country Lass („The Oak and the Ash“) – Joyce and Cully listen to it in the car radio (S13E04: The Silent Land)
- The Unquiet Grave – Joyce (and later Tom) listens to it at home (S13E04: The Silent Land)
- Sweet Nightingale (Cornish folk song) (S25E03: Death Strikes Three)
Songs that were popular during the Great War and World War II
- Give Me the Moonlight: Give Me the Girl (And Leave the Rest to Me) (Albert von Tilzer) (S08E03: Orchis Fatalis)
- We’ll Meet Again (Ross Parker, Hughie Charles) (S08E08: Midsomer Rhapsody)
- Hokey Cokey (Hokey Pokey) (Al Tabor) (S10E01: Dance with the Dead)
- Goodnight Sweetheart all my prayers are for you) (Ray Noble) (S10E01: Dance with the Dead)
- I‘ll Be Seeing You (Sammy Fain) (S10E01: Dance with the Dead)
- Chattanooga Choo Choo (Harry Warren) (S10E01: Dance with the Dead)
Brass Band
- The Senator (S04E02: Destroying Angel)
- Unknown piece at the Mercy Park Open Day (S06E02: Death and Dreams)
- Blue Tail Fly (Traditional) (S08E01: Things That Go Bump in the Night) – it’s not a British song, but US-American
- A brass band performing a swing number I can’t identify (S08E03: Orchis Fatalis)
- Two brass pieces whose names I cannot identify (for the arrival of the bus from Causton and for the reception of the mayor) (S13E02: The Sword of Guillaume)
- And anonther unidentified brass piece during the Midsomer Classic Car Competition (S14E01: Death in the Slow Lane)
Blues, Rock, Swing, Folk
- I‘m Walkin‘ (Fats Domino) (S01E01: Written in Blood)
- Tangerine (Jack Dorsey) (S04E05: Dark Autumn)
- When You Lose the One You Love (David Whitfield) (S04E05: Dark Autumn)
- The Creep (Ken Mackintosh) – runs in the background with every murder (S04E05: Dark Autumn)
- Witchcraft (Frank Sinatra) (S07E06: The Straw Woman)
- Don‘t Worry, Be Happy (Mobby McFerrin) (S08E06: Hidden Depths)
- Dimples – I love the way you walk (Delroy Wilson); In this case, intoned by Tom Barnaby and Jack McKinley (S10E04: The Axeman Cometh)
- That’s the Way (I Like It) (KC and the Sunshine band), spoken by Jessica Wingate while blackmailing her mother (S14E01: Death in the Slow Lane)
- Six folk songs, of which only the opening or closing sequence of each song is heard in the episode – I can’t figure out their titles (perhaps some of them were composed especially for the episode?) (S17E03: The Ballad of Midsomer County)
- Unknown Latin American(?) dance at the beginning of the episode (S21E01: The Point of Balance)
- Unknown rumba dance, to which Rachel Stevenson and Ray Wilder rehearse their dance (S21E01: The Point of Balance)
Church Hymns
- Dear Lord and Father of Mankind (5th verse, during the funeral service, before sermon) (S02E01: Death’s Shadow)
- Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven (5th verse, during the funeral service, after sermon) (S02E01: Death’s Shadow)
- For those in Peril on the sea (Tom Barnaby mentions it as a possible hymn that could be sung at a silver wedding anniversary service – and sings it) (S02E01: Death‘s Shadow)
- All Things Bright and Beautiful (Joyce Barnaby mentions it as a possible hymn that could be sung at a silver wedding anniversary service) (S02E01: Death‘s Shadow)
- There is a Green Hill (Joyce Barnaby mentions it as a possible hymn that could be sung at a silver wedding anniversary service) (S02E01: Death‘s Shadow)
- Onward, Christian Soldiers (Joyce Barnaby mentions it as a possible hymn that could be sung at a silver wedding anniversary service) (S02E01: Death‘s Shadow)
- Glory to Thee, my God, this Night (Thomas Tallis) (S08E01: Things That Go Bump in the Night; S18E05: Saints and Sinners)
- Abide with me (S16E02: Let Us Prey, S18E01: Habeas Corpus, S24E01: Devil’s Work)
- Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (S17E02: Murder By Magic)
- Shall we Gather at the River (Robert Lowry) (S25E01: Treasures of Darkness)
Christmas Carols
- In the Bleak Midwinter (S07E07: Ghosts of Christmas Past)
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – Carol Singers mit Joyce (S11E06: Days of Misrule)
- Hark, the Herald Angels Sing – Carol Singers mit Joyce (S11E06: Days of Misrule)
- O Come All Ye Faithful – Carol Singers mit Joyce (S11E06: Days of Misrule)
- Joy to the World (S11E06: Days of Misrule)
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas (S11E06: Days of Misrule)
- Good King Wenceslas (S11E06: Days of Misrule)
Choral Works
- Jerusalem (Hubert Parry) (S05E04: Murder on St Malley‘s Day)
- Wir setzen uns mit Tranen nieder (We sit down in tears), closing chorus of his St Matthew Passion (Johann Sebastian Bach) (S09E07: Death in Chorus) – thank you, Jenni!
- Fair Phyllis (John Farmer) (S09E07: Death in Chorus)
- Calon Lân (Welsh traditional) (S10E05: Death and Dust)
- Daisy Bell (Harry Dacre) – programmed into an IBM 704 in 1961 at Bell Labs as the earliest demonstration of computer speech synthesis“ (IMDB) (S12E04: The Glitch)
- Kyrie (David Hewson) (S13E01: The Made-to-Measure Murders)
- Lacrimosa (from Requiem by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) (S13E01: The Made-to-Measure Murders & S24E01: The Devil‘s Work)
- Dies irae (from Requiem by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) (S24E01: The Devil‘s Work)
Classical Music (Instrumental, Operas, …)
- The Wedding March (from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy) (Pilot: The Killings at Badger’s Drift)
- Habanera (‘L’amour est un oiseau rebelle’) from Carmen by Georges Bizet (S01E02: Death of a Hollow Man, sung by Rosa Carmichael)
- Overture to Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (S01E02: Death of a Hollow Man – as the audience arrives at the theatre)
- Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201, I. Allegro moderato, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (S01E02: Death of a Hollow Man – as the audience takes their seats)
- Final chorus, ‘Nie werd ich deine Huld verkennen’ (‘I shall never fail to honour your kindness’) from The Abduction from the Seraglio by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (S01E02: Death of a Hollow Man – during the play, with Nicholas Bentley conducting as Mozart)
- An aria from Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini (S03E01: Death of a Stranger)
- See the Conqu‘ring Hero Comes (from Judas Maccabaeus by Georg Friedrich Handel) (S03E03: Judgement Day)
- An aria from a Mozart opera (just before Ginny Sharp jumps into her pool to fish out the ashtrays) (S05E01: Market for Murder)
- Piano Sonata No. 11 (‘Rondo Alla Turca’) (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) (S06E02: Death and Dreams, S13E05: Master Class – someone auditions in front of the Fielding sisters)
- Nocturne op. 9 no. 1 in B flat minor (Frédéric Chopin) (S09E01: The House in the Woods, S17E02: Murder By Magic)
- Plaisir d‘Amour (Jean-Paul-Égide Martini) (S09E01: The House in the Woods)
- Für Elise (For Elise) (Ludwig van Beethoven) (S09E02: Dead Letters)
- Au fond du temple saint (Tenor-baritone duet from Georges Bizet’s Les pêcherurs de perles/The Pearl Fishers) (S09E04: Down Among the Dead Men)
- Prelude and Fugue in C major (Johann Sebastian Bach) (S09E04: Down Among the Dead Men)
- Zadok the Priest (George Frederic Handel) (S09E05: Four Funerals and a Wedding)
- Bridal Chorus (‘Treulich gefuehrt’ from Lohengrin by Richard Wagner) (S11E02: Blood Wedding – two times: First for Beth Porteous & Sir Edward ‘Ned’ Fitzroy, at the end for Cully Barnaby & Simon Dixon)
- Nocturne in C#m (Gary Schmidt) (S13E02: The Sword of Guillaume)
- A piece that I couldn’t identify (S13E05: Master Class – Zoë Stock auditions in front of the Fielding sisters)
- Children‘s Corner L. 113 (Claude Debussy) (S13E05: Master Class – Benedict Marsh auditions for Sir Michael Fielding‘s Masterclass)
- Étude Op. 10, No. 12 (‘Revolutionary Étude’) (Frédéric Chopin) (S13E05: Master Class – Orlando Guest auditions for Sir Michael Fielding‘s Masterclass)
- Arabesque in C major, Op. 18 (Robert Schumann) (S13E05: Master Class – Francesca Sharpe auditions for Sir Michael Fielding‘s Masterclass)
- Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 (‘Pathétique’) (Ludwig van Beethoven) (S13E05: Master Class – Zoë Stock auditions for Sir Michael Fielding‘s Masterclass)
- Solfeggio in C minor, H. 220, Wq. 117/2 (Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach) (S13E05: Master Class – Zoë Stock’s rehearsal with Sir Michael)
- (not sure) Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 548 (J.S. Bach) (S13E05: Master Class – Zoë playing the organ)
- Étude Op. 10, No. 3 (Frédéric Chopin) (S13E05: Master Class – Francesca Sharpe’s rehearsal with Sir Michael)
- Liebestod (from Tristan und Isolde by Richard Wagner) (S13E05: Master Class – Sir Michael’s tryst with Mrs Sharpe)
- Impromptu No. 3 in G flat Major, D. 899 (Op. 90) (Franz Schubert) (S13E05: Master Class – Zoë Stock and Sir Michael during her next rehearsal, followed by the evening when Zoë is shown into his presence, and finally, during Sir Michael’s declaration of love)
- Nocturne No. 2 in E flat minor, Op. 9, No. 2 (Frédéric Chopin) (S13E05: Master Class – Benedict Marsh playing the piano in the restaurant)
- Vestri La Giubba (from Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo) (S19E02: Crime and Punishment)
- Polonaise No 6 in A flat op 53 (Frédéric Chopin) (S19E06: The Curse of the Ninth – Zak Sowande performs it at the beginning of the episode)
- Nimrod (Enigma Variatie No.9) (Edvard Elgar) (S19E06: The Curse of the Ninth – Candice Rafferty plays it on the Stradivarius)
- Overture (from The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini) (S22E02: The Stitcher Society)
- Cellosuite Nr. 1 in G-Dur (Johann Sebastian Bach) (S23E02: The Debt of Lies)
- Unknown solo piece for a string instrument (viola? cello?) at the beginning of Bruce’s party (S25E03: Death Strikes Three)
Other Music
- Who Killed Cock Robin (nursery rhyme used as a reference for the title of an episode) (S04E04: Who Killed Cock Robin?)
- We Shall Overcome (Protest song that played an important role in the US civil rights movement) (S11E03: Left For Dead)
- Soul Limbo (Booker T. & the M.G.s) – typical tune of the BBC’s coverage of Test matches (S12E04: The Glitch)
- Airfix Model by Terry Wrist (S12E04: The Glitch)
- West End Girl by Pet Shop Boys (S12E06: The Creeper)
🤓 Read more about Midsomer Murders & History
The Chronology of Midsomer County by Year or by Episodes
Deep Dives into Midsomer & History
This is an independent, non-commercial project. I am not connected to Bentley Productions, ITV or the actors.
