Classical music, which was birthed in the 9th century AD, has been a popular musical style for many generations. The term refers to western liturgical and secular music, and usually consisted of a large orchestra or stringed band. Wind ensembles were also very popular in classical music in the 1600’s-1910 (the period known as the Common Practice), but they have since fallen out of favor.

Musical legends such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven wrote classical music, and millions of modern-day composers do their best to follow in their footsteps. While there are still many classical composers and orchestras around today, classical music has lost popularity as of late. With the new generations coming in, and music becoming more and more outrageous, classical music just seems “lame” to many people. However, believe it that classical music will never truly die, unlike many modern musical genres.

Today, many classical composers are shifting from the old, traditional ways, to new styles that attract the younger generations. For instance, popular song themes (or even tunes) are often incorporated into modern-day classical music, in the hopes of encouraging the young to become interested in classical music. The instruments are the same, piano and strings, but the style is changing.

Classical music gets a lot of bad reputation today, as many people it consider it “elevator music”, or “muzak”. While it is true that classical songs don't exactly have the same feel as most modern music, it's still considered classical to be good music – at least if the composer is good. Classical tunes also play a large role in modern-day cinema and television, particularly in commercials. Often soundtracks for popular movies consist of primarily classical music, and many TV ads use classical songs as background music. Classical certainly isn't dead, but I think its style is shifting.