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?
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
clas‧si‧cal 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