Classical Music
In short, Classical music is a period of music that roughly lasted from 1550 to 1820. Distinguished by its light accompaniment and simple melodies, it was ultimately replaced by music from the Romantic period. Famous composers from the Classical period include Haydn, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, and a handful of others.
In long, Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly 1000 to the present day. The central norms of this tradition, according to one school of thought, developed between 1550 and 1825, focusing on what is known as the common practice period.
The Classical period falls between the Baroque and the Romantic periods. Among its composers were Muzio Clementi,  Johann Ladislaus Dussek and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, though probably the best known composers from this period are Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven (as they all worked in Vienna, Austria, this period is often referred to as "Viennese Classic"). Beethoven is also noted as either a Romantic composer, or a composer who was part of the transition to the Romantic.
The term classical music did not appear until the early 19th century, in an attempt to "canonize" the period from Bach to Beethoven as an era in music parallel to the golden age of sculpture, architecture and art of classical antiquity, (from which of course no music has directly survived). The earliest reference to "classical music" recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary is from about 1836. Since that time, the term has developed in common parlance as a simple opposite to popular music.
Although Classical Music refers to the music existing between the Baroque and the Romantic periods, Classical music has adopted other forms, including 20th Century Classical music (roughly 1900-2000) and Contemporary Classical music (music generally created by currently-living composers since the 1960's and onward). Contemporary Classical music also had an intense cross fertilization with jazz, with several composers being able to work in both genres, including George Gershwin.
Get more history and other info on Classical Music at Wikipedia.com.
Most Noted Classical Composers
Most Noted Classical Composers of the 20th century
Genres within Classical Music
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