George IV was a consummate fan of the pomp and splendour of state ceremony as well as the merriment of private parties. His love of performance naturally extended to music. George IV, when Prince of Wales (1762–1820), was a significant patron of the Austrian composer, Franz Joseph Haydn, later introducing him to George III and Queen Charlotte. Haydn wrote that the prince 'has an extraordinary love of music'. This love was not limited to patronage; he was also known to be an able singer and player of the violoncello.

The King's Band, comprising of 46 percussion and wind instruments, was nationally renowned. They played during dinners, balls, palace strolls and outdoor festivities. After 1817, however, the focus of the band's activities became John Nash's new Music Room at the Royal Pavilion. Famously in 1823 George IV held a 'Grand Music Party', at which the Italian composer, Gioachino Antonio Rossini, directed the band in selections from his most celebrated operas.