The Essay

Radio 3 presenter Tom Service celebrates a composer whose music has particularly inspired him - Arnold Bax, whose music reflects his love of the remarkable landscape of northwest Scotland, where Tom spent his childhood summer holidays.

Radio 3 presenter Sarah Walker celebrates a composer whose music has particularly inspired her: 'English Experimentalist' John White - who, as well as being a dedicated opponent of "seriosity" in classical music, is the spitting image of Hollywood actor Jack Nicholson.This is the first of five editions of The Essay in which Radio 3 classical music presenters celebrate lesser-known composers whose 'secret admirers' they are. Coming up from Tuesday to Friday: Tom Service on Arnold Bax Lucie Skeaping on Thomas Ravenscroft Martin Handley on Malcolm Arnold Sara Mohr-Pietsch on Hildegard of Bingen.

A series of five essays from writers around the Commonwealth which start on Commonwealth Day 10th March and tackle the past, present and future of this unique international organisation.Tolu Ogunlesi, poet and author from Nigeria looks at whether young people in Lagos can relate to the Commonwealth.

A series of five essays from writers around the Commonwealth which start on Commonwealth Day 10th March and tackle the past, present and future of this unique international organisation.Farah Ghuznavi from Bangladesh has been Writer in Residence for Commonwealth Writers. She saw the Commonwealth as an irrelevance in her early life. Here she explains what changed her mind.

A series of five essays from writers around the Commonwealth which start on Commonwealth Day, 10th March, and tackle the past, present and future of this unique international organisation.Author Noah Richler writes from a Canadian perspective. The Queen still appears on the bank notes of Canada as she is the head of state. The role is largely ceremonial, so why the need for ties like the Commonwealth in such an advanced country?

A series of five essays from writers around the Commonwealth which start on Commonwealth Day, 10th March, and tackle the past, present and future of this unique international organisation.Fakir Aijazuddin, author and historian from Lahore, comments on Pakistan's chequered relationship with the Commonwealth. He reflects on his own dealings with what he describes as a typically British invention, the 'gentleman's club'.

The first of five Essays from writers around the Commonwealth which start on Commonwealth Day, 10th March, and scrutinise the destiny of this unique international body.Dr Sue Onslow of the School of Advanced Studies, University of London looks at the history of the Commonwealth and its web of committees and forums. She asks whether they have made a difference in world politics in the past and whether the organisation has a future.

The Islamic Golden Age (c. 750-1258 CE) rediscovered through portraits of key figures and events. In tonight's essay, award-winning writer Kamila Shamsie looks at the life of Lubna of Cordoba. She leaves traces in fragments of records: one says she was the royal library acquisitions expert, another suggests she was private secretary to al-Hakam II. What's not in doubt is that she had a fine and piercing intellect and moved in some of the most interesting circles of the day.Producer: Sarah Taylor.

Radio 3 continues its twenty-part series looking at the five-hundred-year period, the Islamic Golden Age. We've heard about some of the great architects, philosophers, scientists and leaders of the period. In this evening's essay, Narguess Farzad explores the life and work of the Persian poet, Al-Rumi.Producer: Mohini Patel.

'Men grieved for him as they grieve for prophets. I have seen no other ruler for whose death the people mourned, for he was loved by good and bad, Muslim and unbeliever alike.' 'Abd al-Latif, 1193Historian Jonathan Phillips reassesses the influence of 12th-century hero Saladin - a man whose legacy has been admired and appropriated by an extraordinary range of people through the ages. In the past few years he's been the subject of a ballet in Damascus, a musical in Lebanon and he's seen in a children's cartoon (on al-Jazeera TV) where his morality and good character are used as an exemplar for young people to emulate.Given his role in defeating and removing Western invaders, his legacy has immense symbolism in the Middle East. Arab Nationalist leaders such as Nasser of Egypt, Saddam Hussein, and the Assad dynasty in Syria have all embraced his achievement. Yet he appeals to Islamists too: Osama bin Laden praised Saladin's wisdom and his use of the jihad to succeed in defeating the West; to the head of the CIA

Radio 3's twenty-part essay series on the Islamic Golden Age continues its exploration through this five-hundred-year period of empire, innovation, religious turmoil, scientific discovery and major advances in philosophical thought. In this evening's essay, Dr. Amira Bennison examines the creation of two great cities of learning - Baghdad and Cairo.The medieval Middle East is the stuff of fantasy, from the windswept deserts of Arabia to the bustling bazaars of cities like Baghdad and Cairo. But what were these cities actually like? And what part did they play in creating great men (and sometimes women) of letters, science and art? Cities figured in the Muslim imagination as hubs of religion, government, commerce and culture. Medieval Muslim geographers often conceptualised their world as one of routes linking an endless series of towns and cities like stars glittering in the firmament. Although some of these cities like Jerusalem or Damascus were already ancient when the Muslims arrived in the 7th century, ot

Radio 3's twenty-part essay series on the Islamic Golden Age (c. 750 - 1258 CE) continues its exploration through this five-hundred-year period of empire, innovation, religious turmoil, scientific discovery and major advances in philosophical thought.In this evening's essay, Professor Charles Burnett from the Warburg Institute sheds light on the ideas of the philospher, Ibn Rushd - also widely known as Averroes. Ibn Rushd was born in Cordoba in the twelfth century and was prolific in his studies which were wide ranging. Some of his ideas were seen as controversial among Muslim scholars and he has been called the founding father of secular thought in Western Europe.Producer: Mohini Patel.

Radio 3's twenty-part essay series on the Islamic Golden Age continues its exploration through this five-hundred-year period of empire, innovation, religious turmoil, scientific discovery and major advances in philosophical thought. In this evening's essay, Professor Mona Siddiqui turns her attention to Al-Ghazali. He had a major influence on both Muslim and European philosophers.Producer: Sarah Taylor.

Radio 3's twenty part essay series on the Islamic Golden Age continues its exploration through this five hundred year period of empire, innovation, religious turmoil, scientific discovery and major advances in philosophical thought. In this evening's essay, we hear about the controversial Egyptian imam-caliph, Al Hakim and his sister Sitt al-Mulk. At worst, al Hakim has a reputation as the "mad" caliph and the destoroyer of the Holy Sepulchre church in Jerusalem. At best - he's a capricious tyrant. Dr. Simonetta Calderini and Dr. Delia Cortese share their forensic academic research into these controversial siblings and the essay is read by Dr. Simonetta Calderini.Producer: Sarah Taylor.

Radio 3 continues its series of portraits of some of the more remarkable figures and events from the Islamic Golden Age - an era which saw huge changes in empires, medicine, architectural achievements and philosophical thought. In this evening's essay, Professor James Montgomery sheds light on the scholar al-Biruni. An exceptionally gifted mathematician, he devoted much of his life to astronomy and chronometry in an effort to measure, capture and contain time. He lived a long life devoted to scholarship and wrote more than 140 books which influenced intellectual thought of the period and beyond.Producer: Sarah Taylor.

This major essay series continues as leading thinkers and practitioners share their knowledge and passion for the Golden Age of Islam. Dr. Sussan Babaie from the Courtauld Institute is an expert in Islamic architecture. She turns the spotlight on two significant monuments of the early medieval period in the Islamic world: the 10th century royal mausoleaum of the Samanid dynasty in Bukhara, present-day Uzbekistan and the 11th to 12th century developments in the great congregational mosque of Isfahan, in central Iran, built under the patronage of the Seljuq dynasty.Producer: Sarah Taylor.

In a major series for Radio 3, we continue our journey through the Islamic Golden Age. The period ranges from 750 to 1258 CE and we'll hear about architecture, religious scholarship, medicine, innovation and philosophy. In this evening's essay, Dr Tony Street assesses the great philosopher and highly influential physician Avicenna. Born in Bukahara in 980, Avicenna was an Arabic-speaking Persian who supplanted Aristotle as the leading philosopher of all time, at least for Muslim scholars.Producer: Sarah Taylor.

Novelist Andrew Martin considers attitudes that no longer seem so vital in the modern world. And he concludes his series with something we often did on Sundays - 'church-going'.Producer Duncan MinshullFirst broadcast in January 2014.

Novelist Andrew Martin considers attitudes that no longer seem so vital in the modern world. And he continues with a celebration of 'manual work' - which fewer embrace these days. Producer Duncan MinshullFirst broadcast in January 2014.

Novelist Andrew Martin considers attitudes that no longer seem so vital in the modern world. And this time he thinks about the loss of old rules. The ones to do with 'gentility'.Producer Duncan MinshullFirst broadcast in January 2014.