Classical

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classical [adjective] (MUSIC)

describes music that is considered to be part of a long especially formal tradition and to be of lasting value

US /ˈklæs.ɪ.kəl/ 
UK /ˈklæs.ɪ.kəl/ 
Example: 

Do you prefer classical music like Mozart and Mahler, or pop?

Oxford Essential Dictionary

classical

 adjective

1 in a style that people have used for a long time because they think it is good same meaning traditional:
classical dance
 opposite modern

2 connected with ancient Greece or Rome:
classical Greek architecture

3 classical music is serious and important:
I prefer pop music to classical music.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

classical

classical W3 AC /ˈklæsɪkəl/ BrE AmE adjective
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: classicus; ↑classic1]
1. belonging to a traditional style or set of ideas
classical ballet/dance etc
the classical theory of relativity
2. relating to music that is considered to be important and serious and that has a value that continues for a long time
classical music/musician/composer etc
a leading classical violinist
a classical repertoire
3. relating to the language, literature etc of ancient Greece and Rome:
classical literature
a classical scholar
classical mythology
4. (also classic) typical of a particular thing or situation:
the classical argument against democracy

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

classical

clas·sic·al AW   [ˈklæsɪkl]    [ˈklæsɪkl]  adjective usually before noun
1. widely accepted and used for a long time; traditional in style or idea
the classical economics of Smith and Ricardo
• the classical theory of unemployment

• classical and modern ballet

2. connected with or influenced by the culture of ancient Greece and Rome
classical studies
a classical scholar (= an expert in Latin and Greek)

• classical architecture

3. (of music) written in a Western musical tradition, usually using an established form (for example a symphony ) and not played on electronic instruments. Classical music is generally considered to be serious and to have a lasting value
• He plays classical music, as well as pop and jazz.

• a classical composer/violinist

4. =  classic

• These are classical examples of food allergy.

5. (of a language) ancient in its form and no longer used in a spoken form

• classical Arabic

6. simple and attractive
the classical elegance of the design
Derived Word: classically  
Word Origin:
[classical classically] late 16th cent. (in the sense ‘outstanding of its kind’): from Latin classicus ‘belonging to a class’ (later ‘of the highest class’, from classis ‘a division of the Roman people, a grade, or a class of pupils’) + -al.  
Collocations:
Music
Listening
listen to/enjoy/love/be into music/classical music/jazz/pop/hip-hop, etc.
listen to the radio/an MP3 player/a CD
put on/play a CD/a song/some music
turn down/up the music/radio/volume/bass
go to a concert/festival/gig/performance/recital
copy/burn/rip music/a CD/a DVD
download music/an album/a song/a demo/a video
Playing
play a musical instrument/the piano/percussion/a note/a riff/the melody/a concerto/a duet/by ear
sing an anthem/a ballad/a solo/an aria/the blues/in a choir/soprano/alto/tenor/bass/out of tune
hum a tune/a theme tune/a lullaby
accompany a singer/choir
strum a chord/guitar
Performing
form/start/get together/join/quit/leave a band
give a performance/concert/recital
do a concert/recital/gig
play a concert/gig/festival/venue
perform (BrE) at/in a concert/(especially NAmE) a concert
appear at a festival/live
go on/embark on a (world) tour
Recording
write/compose music/a ballad/a melody/a tune/a song/a theme song/an opera/a symphony
land/get/sign a record deal
be signed to/be dropped by a record company
record/release/put out an album/a single/a CD
be top of/top the charts
get to/go straight to/go straight in at/enter the charts at number one 
Example Bank:

• classical and modern ballet/dance

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

classical / ˈklæs.ɪ.k ə l / adjective (MUSIC)

A2 describes music that is considered to be part of a long especially formal tradition and to be of lasting value:

Do you prefer classical music like Mozart and Mahler, or pop?

specialized describes a style of music written in Europe between about 1750 and 1830:

The works of Haydn and Mozart belong to the classical period.

 

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

classical

[klæ̱sɪk(ə)l]
 ♦♦♦
 1) ADJ: usu ADJ n You use classical to describe something that is traditional in form, style, or content.
  Fokine did not change the steps of classical ballet; instead he found new ways of using them.
  ...the scientific attitude of Smith and earlier classical economists.
  Ant:
  modern
 2) ADJ: usu ADJ n Classical music is music that is considered to be serious and of lasting value.
 3) ADJ: usu ADJ n Classical is used to describe things which relate to the ancient Greek or Roman civilizations.
  ...the healers of ancient Egypt and classical Greece...
  It's a technological achievement that is unrivalled in the classical world.
  ...classical architecture.
 4) ADJ: ADJ n A classical language is a form of a language that was used in ancient times and is now no longer used, or only used in formal writing.
  ...a line of classical Arabic poetry.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

clas·si·cal /ˈklæsɪkəl/ adj
1 [more ~; most ~] : of a kind that has been respected for a long time
• the classical [=traditional] idea of beauty
classical ballet
2 : of or relating to the ancient Greek and Roman world and especially to its language, literature, art, etc.
• the classical [=ancient] and medieval worlds
classical literature/art
• the classical tradition
• a classical scholar
3 : relating to music in a European tradition that includes opera and symphony and that is generally considered more serious than other kinds of music
classical music/composers
4 : teaching ideas about literature, art, science, etc., rather than practical skills
• a classical curriculum/education
5 : very typical : classic
• a classical example of propaganda
• the classical symptoms of the disease