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Introduction To Classical Music

Rebecca Graf
4 min readJan 21, 2025

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We are all familiar with classical music. We hear it while we wait on the phone or ride an elevator. I grew up listening to it through Bugs Bunny cartoons and even in old Western movies. Classical is familiar to all of us even if we aren’t aware of it.

What is Classical Music?

Have you ever had something you needed to define or explain to someone and just didn’t know how? Using my own words, I would say it is any music that is entirely instrumental and is very moving. Not a very good definition. So I’ll turn to something more formal.

Yourclassical.org defines it as “the term “classical” most properly describes music composed from about 1750 to 1820.hat includes the work of Haydn and Mozart, but only most of Beethoven. It doesn’t include Bach — or Wagner. It definitely doesn’t include Debussy or Copland, though you’ll hear plenty of all of those artists on Classical MPR and other classical music stations.”

The Oxford dictionary defines it as “music written in a Western musical tradition, usually using an established form (for example a symphony). Classical music is generally considered to be serious and to have a lasting value”.

An even more description can be found at classicfm.com:

We use classical music (small ‘c’) to mean Western instrumental…

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Rebecca Graf
Rebecca Graf

Written by Rebecca Graf

Writer for ten years, lover of education, and degrees in business, history, and English. Striving to become a Renassiance woman. www.writerrebeccagraf.com

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