absolute music
noun
instrumental music, as a concerto or string quartet, that draws no inspiration from or makes no reference to a text, program, visual image, or title and that exists solely in terms of its musical form, structure, and elements.
Also called
abstract music.
Compare
program music.
Origin of absolute music
First recorded in 1885–90
Words nearby absolute music
British Dictionary definitions for absolute music
absolute music
noun
music that is not designed to depict or evoke any scene or event
Compare programme music