On May 1, 1915, the RMS Lusitania left New York bound for Liverpool.
Six days later, the luxury ocean liner was torpedoed by a German U-boat about a dozen miles off the coast of southern Ireland.
In less than 20 minutes, it sunk to the bottom of the ocean in an area designated as a war zone.
This tragic event inspired composers like Frank Bridge and Charles Ives to express their grief and sense of loss through music.
On this week's Learning to Listen, you'll hear music inspired by the Lusitania, and other music written as a result of the First World War.
More from MPR
Erik Larsen on the sinking of the Lusitania — Erik Larson's books breathe life into long-ago moments to thrilling effect. Larson's latest, Dead Wake, centers on the Lusitania, the doomed ocean liner that now lies 300 feet under water, 11 miles off the coast of Ireland. Larson brings readers back to ship's final voyage, as it sailed from New York to Liverpool in May 1915.
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