Seven pieces inspired by the sea

Tue 14 Oct, 2025

The power, beauty and mystery of the ocean have inspired many pieces of classical music throughout history. Here are just some of our favourites.

1. Sibelius The Oceanides 

Sibelius’s The Oceanides was commissioned for a festival in Norfolk, Connecticut. As he sailed from his home in Finland to the United States for its premiere, Sibelius was still working on revisions to the piece. As you listen, it’s easy to believe that he may have been inspired by the Atlantic Ocean beneath him.

2. Debussy La mer 

Claude Debussy finished his beloved La mer in Eastbourne, a place the London Philharmonic Orchestra calls home. In a hotel overlooking the English Channel, Debussy put the finishing touches to his beloved symphonic seascape. He worried he hadn’t done justice to the beauty of the sea. We disagree…

3. Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony 

A Sea Symphony was Ralph Vaughan Williams’s first symphony and his breakthrough piece. Inspired by Walt Whitman’s poetry, it evokes crystal-clear images of the ocean, but delves even deeper, exploring the journey of the soul into the unknown.

4. Elgar Sea Pictures 

Edward Elgar’s Sea Pictures evokes contrasting images of the sea. Each of its five movements is inspired by a different poem, each written by a different author, demonstrating the various characters of the seas, from gentle shores to turbulent waves. 

5. Grace Williams Sea Sketches

Born and raised in Barry, Wales, Grace Williams often composed on the beach, inspired by the sea. Like Elgar’s Sea Pictures, each of the five movements sketches a different picture of the ocean, from whistling winds and crashing waves to calm waters.

6. Britten Four Sea Interludes

Benjamin Britten’s first opera Peter Grimes explores the downfall of a fisherman accused of murder in a small community. Starting with tranquil waters and ending in a raging storm, the Sea Interludes are heard during Britten’s dramatic scene changes, using powerful depictions of the sea to tell this tragic tale. 

7. Felix Mendelssohn The Hebrides Overture

After seeing Fingal’s Cave in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, Felix Mendelssohn was instantly inspired to write his brilliant concert overture. With beautiful open vistas, storm clouds overhead and the crashing of waves, Mendelssohn paints a picture so vivid, you’ll feel like you’re looking out on the cave yourself.