Musica classica

Classical music, sometimes also classical music or artifice music, refers to artistic, sacred and secular music composed or rooted within Western culture. It encompasses an approximate time span that begins in the 11th century and extends into the 20th century or, depending on convention, into the present day. This period can be characterised in particular by the development and predominant use of tonal harmony, codified between the 17th and 19th centuries. In a more restrictive sense, the term 'classical music' may refer only to the musical period known as classicism, but in common parlance the term is understood in its widest sense, i.e. in opposition to so-called light music or popular music.