Music from the United Kingdom has achieved great popularity since the 1960s, when a wave of musicians helped to popularise rock and roll. Since then, the UK has produced numerous popular in far-ranging fields from heavy metal to folk rock and drum and bass, as well as undergoing a renaissance in the ancient forms of folk music indigenous to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom has had an influence on modern music worldwide which is disproportionate to its population. Indeed, the United Kingdom has produced many of the world's most influential artists and bands, such as The Beatles.Composers William Byrd, Thomas Tallis, John Taverner, John Blow, Henry Purcell, Edward Elgar, Arthur Sullivan, William Walton, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett have made major contributions to British music, and are known internationally. Living composers include John Tavener, Harrison Birtwistle, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Oliver Knussen, and James MacMillan.
The Rolling Stones Britain also supports a number of major orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia, the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Because of its location and other economic factors, London is one of the most important cities for music in the world: it has several important concert halls and is also home to the Royal Opera House, one of the world's leading opera houses. British traditional music has also been very influential abroad.