 | ||
The Official Classical Singles Chart is a music chart based on downloads of classical singles in the United Kingdom. The chart is compiled weekly by the Official Charts Company (OCC) and is first published on Monday afternoons on their official website. Sales data for the chart is compiled from websites such as 7Digital, Amazon.com, HMV.com, iTunes, Sainsburys.com and Tesco.com.
The chart was founded in May 2012, at a time when classical music was becoming more popular in the UK – the previous year, the classical single "Wherever You Are" by Military Wives had become the 2011 UK Singles Chart Christmas number one. During 2012's first quarter, approximately 284,000 classical music downloads had been purchased in the UK – this had been an increase of 34% compared to the previous year. Martin Talbot, managing director of the OCC, stated that the launch of the chart "further underlines how classical music is reaching into the mainstream". Alongside the singles chart, the Classic Brit Awards announced at the same time that it would launch a Top Single Award at the 2012 ceremony to commemorate the most popular classical single that year.
The chart's first number one, announced on 28 May 2012, was a version of the UK's national anthem, "God Save the Queen", by BBC Concert Orchestra and British conductor Barry Wordsworth. It reached number one during the week of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.