Rattle, Sir Simon, 1955-, British conductor, b. Liverpool, studied Royal Academy of Music, London. Originally a percussionist, he became part of the Merseyside Youth Orchestra at 11 and of the Royal Liverpool Orchestra at 15. In 1974 he became the youngest person ever to win the John Player International Conducting Competition, launching his career on the podium. From 1980 to 1998 he was the popular and critically acclaimed principal conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, which he transformed into a major orchestra. Known for his innovative and dynamic style and wide musical interests, Rattle also has frequently led the Glyndebourne Opera, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He succeeded Claudio Abbado as chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 2002.

Rattle may mean:

• Rattle (percussion)
• RATTLE magazine, an American poetry journal
• Bird-scaring rattle, a Slovene device used to drive birds off vineyards and a folk instrument
• Football rattle, a noisy version of the ratchet for showing approval, used by sports fans
• Death rattle
• Rhinanthus, a genus of plants
• Rattle, Derbyshire, a hamlet in England
• The Rattles, German rock band who recorded an upbeat version of "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" in the 1960's also famous for their 1970 hit "The Witch"

See also

• Rattlesnake
• Simon Rattle
• Rattle and Hum