Classical music

Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, Western art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 9th century to the 21st century.[1] The central norms of this tradition became codified between 1550 and 1900, which is known as the common practice period. It is still played by many of today's musicians. When used as a synonym for Western art music, the term encompasses a range of musical styles and approaches, ranging from compositional techniques (such as fugue)[2] to entertaining operettas.[3][4] European classical 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.[5] 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 musics (compare Indian classical music and Japanese traditional music), and popular music.