- Refers to Western Art Music written between 1750 (18th Century) and 1820 (19th Century). This is known as the classical period.
- In about the 11th Century catholic monks developed the first forms of modern European music in order to standardize liturgy throughout the worldwide church.
- E.g. concerto, symphony, opera, sonata, oratorio
- Performers require proficiency in sight-reading and ensemble playing; written down in musical notation.
Transmitted through written / sheet music unlike other popular genres
Known for the authors of the music not the performers eg Mozart, Beethoven