Instrumental music
Instrumental music is music performed without sung or spoken vocal parts. It may be played by acoustic instruments, electronic instruments, or both.
Musical instrument: A device made or adapted to produce musical sounds. Instruments supply the sounds that define this music in the absence of vocals.
Film score: Music composed or selected to accompany a film. Instrumental scores shape a film’s mood, pacing, and emotional interpretation.
Vocal music: Music performed with singing as a central sound source. It supplies the direct counterpart to music without sung parts.
Symphony: An extended orchestral composition, usually organized into several movements. The symphony is a major large-scale form built for instrumental forces.
Orchestration: The assignment and combination of musical parts among instruments. Orchestration determines how instrumental parts combine into a unified texture.
Video game music: Music created or selected to accompany video games. Instrumental game music often adapts to player actions and changing scenes.
Song: A musical composition, typically for voice, with or without accompaniment. Songs join melody to words, unlike purely instrumental works.
String quartet: An ensemble of two violins, viola, and cello, and music written for it. Its repertoire demonstrates intricate instrumental conversation among a small ensemble.
Musical texture: The way melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic layers relate in music. Texture distinguishes solo lines, accompaniment, counterpoint, and dense instrumental layers.
Background music: Music intended to accompany another activity rather than command primary attention. Instrumental passages can support settings where lyrics would compete with speech or tasks.