"No one is saying anyone ought to sleep through music – just that you might as well make the best of it when the inevitable happens." Philip Clark on the pleasures of Francisco López, Bruckner and blindfolds

Philip Clark on JS Bach, Jimmy Lyons's ear for architecture and the poetic metaphor of the line

Philip Clark on Deutsche Grammophon's 1970s forays into free improvisation, and the impact of DG's current boss, former A&R pop picker Max Hole

Philip Clark visits the Proms and witnesses a clash between New Music and the fancy-dress patriotism of populist classical music culture.

Philip Clark asks why London has always been "re" rather than "pro" active towards trends in composed music.

Philip Clark muses the death of composer Steve Martland and the identikit obituary.

In his latest column, Philip Clark asks whether the piano is still relevant – have things dropped off since Debussy, Ravel and Janáček?

In his first column for The Wire online, Philip Clark looks at unhinged egos, unanswered emails and other occupational hazards of life as a working composer – and musicians who don't want to be noticed.