What is programme music?

Programme music communicates a narrative or non-musical idea. It is instrumental music but it can be in various forms, such as concert overtures, symphonies, chamber music, concertos etc. Programme music flourished particularly in the Romantic era, but there are many examples from earlier repertoires. For example, The Four Seasons by Vivaldi are Baroque violin concertos but they qualify as programme music because the music depicts the story set out in four accompaFurthermore, overtures such as Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream overture are programmatic because certain