Music without associations outside of itself, in contrast to program music e g , Bach's fugues
Music written for its own sake, with no direct reference to anything outside itself It has no words and does not depict a story
Music that is not dependent on a program or dramatic text; pure music (opposite of program music )
Music that makes no intentional reference to a non-musical source, such as a literary work, visual image, historical event, etc The term was coined in the Romantic Period to make a distinction between "pure" music and program music (music that tells a story) The distinction is often hazy, however For example, though Beethoven's Fifth Symphony has no overt program, Beethoven himself described the opening measures as describing "fate knocking at the door "