Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular

music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times. The central norms of this tradition became codified between 1550 and 1900, which is known as the common practice period. It should not be confused with the Classical Era. European music is largely distinguished from many other non-European and popular musical forms by its system of staff notation, in use since about the 16th century. Western staff notation is used by composers to prescribe to the performer the pitch, speed, meter, individual rhythms and exact execution of a piece of music. This leaves less room for practices such as improvisation and ad libitum ornamentation that are frequently heard in non-European art music and popular music. The term "classical music" did not appear until the early 19th century, in an attempt to "canonize" the period from Johann Sebastian Bach to Beethoven as a golden age. The earliest reference to "classical music" recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary is from about 1836.

Characteristics Given the extremely broad variety of forms, styles, genres, and historical periods generally perceived as being described by the term "classical music," it is difficult to list characteristics that can be attributed to all works of that type. Vague descriptions are plentiful, such as describing classical music as anything that "lasts a long time," a statement made rather moot when one considers contemporary composers who are described as classical; or music that has certain instruments like violins, which are also found in other genres. However, there are characteristics that classical music contains that few or no other genres of music contain.

Instrumentation The instruments used in most classical music were largely invented before the mid-19th century (often much earlier), and codified in the 18th and 19th centuries. They consist of the instruments found in an orchestra, together with a few other solo instruments (such as the piano, harpsichord, and organ). The symphony orchestra is the most widely known medium for classical music. The orchestra includes members of the string, woodwind, brass, and percussion families. Electric instruments such as the electric guitar appear occasionally in the classical music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Both classical and popular musicians have experimented in recent decades with electronic instruments such as the synthesizer, electric and digital techniques such as the use of sampled or computer-generated sounds, and the sounds of instruments from other cultures such as the gamelan. None of the bass instruments existed until the Renaissance. In Medieval music, instruments are divided in two categories: loud instruments for use outdoors or in church, and quieter instruments for indoor use. The Baroque orchestra consisted of flutes, oboes, horns and violins, occasionally with trumpets and timpani. Many instruments which are associated today with popular music used to have important roles in early classical music, such as bagpipes, vihuelas,hurdy-gurdies and some woodwind instruments. On the other hand, instruments such as the acoustic guitar, which used to be associated mainly with popular music, have gained prominence in classical music through the 19th and 20th centuries. While equal temperament became gradually accepted as the dominant musical temperament during the 18th century, different historical temperaments are often used for music from earlier periods. For instance, music of the English Renaissance is often performed in meantone temperament. Keyboards almost all share a common layout (often called the piano keyboard).

Form Whereas most popular styles lend themselves to the song form, classical music has been noted for its development of highly sophisticated forms of instrumental music: these include the concerto, symphony, sonata, suite, etude, symphonic poem, and others. Classical composers often aspire to imbue their music with a very complex relationship between its affective (emotional) content and the intellectual means by which it is achieved. Many of the most esteemed works of classical music make use of musical development, the process by which a musical idea or motif is repeated in different contexts or in altered form. The sonata form and fugue employ rigorous forms of musical development. The other notable form in classical music is opera. Technical execution Along with a desire for composers to attain high technical achievement in writing their music, performers of classical music are faced with similar goals of technical mastery, as demonstrated by the proportionately high amount of schooling and private study most successful classical musicians have had when compared to "popular" genre musicians, and the large number of secondary schools, including conservatories, dedicated to the study of classical music. The only other genre in the Western world with comparable secondary education opportunities is jazz. Complexity Professional performance of classical music repertoire demands a significant level of proficiency in sightreading and ensemble playing, thorough understanding of tonal and harmonic principles, knowledge of performance practice, and a familiarity with the style/musical idiom inherent to a given period, composer or musical work are among the most essential of skills for the classically trained musician. Works of classical repertoire often exhibit artistic complexity through the use of thematic development, phrasing, harmonization, modulation (change of key), texture, and, of course, form itself. Larger-scale compositional forms (such as that of the symphony, concerto, opera or oratorio, for example) usually represent a hierarchy of smaller units consisting of phrases, periods, sections, and movements. Musical analysis of a composition aims at achieving greater understanding of it, leading to more meaningful hearing and a greater appreciation of the composer's style. Society Classical music regularly features as background music for movies, television programmes, advertisements and events. Nessun dorma from Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot for example was the theme tune for the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

History The major time divisions of classical music are the early music period, which includes Medieval (5001400) and Renaissance (14001600), the Common practice period, which includes the Baroque (16001750), Classical (17501830) and Romantic (18041949) periods, and the modern and contemporary period, which includes 20th century (19002000) and contemporary (1975current). The dates are generalizations, since the periods overlapped and the categories are somewhat arbitrary. For example, the use of counterpoint and fugue, which is considered characteristic of the Baroque era, was continued by Haydn, who is classified as typical of the Classical period. Beethoven, who is often described as a founder of the Romantic period, and Brahms, who is classified as Romantic, also used counterpoint and fugue, but other characteristics of their music define their period. The prefix neo is used to describe a 20th century or contemporary composition written in the style of an earlier period, such as Classical or Romantic. Stravinskys Pulcinella, for example, is a neoclassical composition because it is stylistically similar to works of the Classical period.

Roots The roots of Western classical music lie in early Christian liturgical music, and its influences date back to the Ancient Greeks. Development of individual tones and scales was done by ancient Greeks such as Aristoxenus and Pythagoras. Pythagoras created a tuning system and helped to codify musical notation. Ancient Greek instruments such as the aulos (a reed instrument) and the lyre (a stringed instrument similar to a small harp) eventually led to the modern-day instruments of a classical orchestra. The antecedent to the early period was the era of ancient music from before the fall of the Roman Empire (476 AD). Very little music survives from this time, most of it from Ancient Greece. Relationship to other music traditions Popular music Classical music has often incorporated elements or material from popular music of the composer's time. Examples include occasional music such as Brahms' use of student drinking songs in hisAcademic Festival Overture, genres exemplified by Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera, and the influence of jazz on early- and mid-20th century composers including Maurice Ravel, exemplified by the movement entitled "Blues" in his sonata for violin and piano. Certain postmodern, minimalist and postminimalist classical composers acknowledge a debt to popular music. There are numerous examples of influence in the opposite direction, including popular songs based on classical music, the use to which Pachelbel's Canon has been put since the 1970s, and the musical crossover phenomenon, where classical musicians have achieved success in the popular music arena. Folk music Composers of classical music have often made use of folk music (music created by musicians who are commonly not classically trained, often from a purely oral tradition). Some composers, likeDvok and Smetana, have used folk themes to impart a nationalist flavor to their work, while others (like Bartk) have used specific themes lifted whole from their folk-music origins. Commercialism Certain staples of classical music are often used commercially (either in advertising or in movie soundtracks). In television commercials, several passages have become clichd, particularly the opening of Richard Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra (made famous in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey) and the opening section "O Fortuna" of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana; other examples include the Dies Irae from the Verdi Requiem, Edvard Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt, the opening bars of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walkre, Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee", and excerpts of Aaron Copland's Rodeo. Shawn Vancour argues that the commercialization of classical music in the early 20th century served to harm the music industry through inadequate representation. Similarly, movies and television often revert to standard, clichd snatches of classical music to convey refinement or opulence: some of the most-often heard pieces in this category includeMozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain (as orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov), and Rossini's William Tell Overture.

CHORDOPHONES: violin, viola, cello, double bass, classical guitar, viol, lute, mandolin, harp, clavichord, piano, harpsichord AEROPHONES: bassoon, clarinet, English horn, flute, oboe, piccolo, saxophone, French horn, trombone, trumpet MEMBRANOPHONES: snare drum, tenor drum, bass drum, timpani, tambourine IDIOPHONES: cymbals, gong, triangle, vibraphone, xylophone, marimba

Largely different from Baroque music which was mostly flamboyant, new music styles during the Classical period had simpler harmony and clearer tonality. Here are several notable composers of this period or those whose works represent Classical music:

1. Ludwig van Beethoven One of the greatest composers of the Classical period. He became deaf in his 20s (some books say in his 30s) but continued to compose music that is still much appreciated to this day. He wrote "Symphony No. 2, op. 36 (D Major)," Symphony No. 3 Eroica, op. 55 (E flat Major)," "Symphony No. 4, op. 60 (B flat Major)" and other great masterpieces when he was almost completely deaf. 2. Johannes Brahms At seven years old, Brahms learned how to play the piano under the instruction of Otto Friedrich Willibald Cossel. He furthered his studies of theory and composition under Eduard Marxen. Brahms became friends with the Schumanns and supposedly fell in love with Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann's wife. 3. Francesco Cavalli One of the most influential Italian opera composers during the 17th century. Among his famous works are: Didone (1641), Egisto (1646), Erismena and L'Ormindo. 4. Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin A child prodigy and music genius. Among his most famous compositions are: "Polonaises in G minor and B flat major 9" (which he composed when he was 7 years old), "Variations, op. 2 on a theme from Don Juan by Mozart," "Ballade in F major" and "Sonata in C minor." 5. Antonin Dvorak A conductor, teacher and composer whose works reflected different influences; from American folk tunes to Brahms' works. His most famous work is the Ninth Symphony from the "New World Symphony." 6. Christoph Willibald Gluck A composer during the Classical period especially known for his operas and for reforming the operatic styles of that era. He came from a family of foresters but Gluck's true passion was music. When he was about 13 years old, he left home, perhaps to avoid the family profession. His most successful works include his "reform operas" with Ranieri Calzabigi namely "Orfeo ed Euridice" and "Alceste." 7. Franz Joseph Haydn As a young boy, Haydn possessed a very beautiful voice and spent most of his time singing in church choirs. As he matured he focused his talents on composing, steadily making a name for himself and earning quite well. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a good friend of Haydn, in fact, Mozart's Requiem was performed at Haydn's funeral. 8. Gustav Mahler Mahler is known for his songs, cantatas and symphonies which he wrote in several keys. Some of his works require a huge orchestra; for example, the "Eighth Symphony in E flat" also called the Symphony of A Thousand. 9. William Mason Mason came from a music-loving family, although at first his father wanted him to become a clergyman. He was the third son of Lowell Mason, considered as the "Father of American church music." His brother, Henry Mason, was one of the founders of the Mason & Hamlin Company. 10. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart At the age of 5, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart already wrote a miniature allegro (K. 1b) and andante (K. 1a). He was sickly as a child and died at the young age of 35. Yet, his over 600 compositions still influence countless musicians and listeners to this day. Among his famous works are "Symphony No. 35 Haffner, K. 385 - D Major," "Cos fan tutte, K. 588" and "Requiem Mass, K. 626 - d minor."