I disagree. I perfectly understand the terminology of music appreciation, but this word definitely means different things in different contexts. If in general discourse, it is commonly placed in apposition to 'popular', so you just have to discriminate based on the nature of the conversation: there is simply no point in grumbling about the word having alternative meanings. Kvetch up, the train is leaving with or without you!
clas·si·cal (klăs'ĭ-kəl)
adj.
Of or relating to the ancient Greeks and Romans, especially their art, architecture, and literature.
Conforming to the artistic and literary models of ancient Greece and Rome.
Versed in the classics: a classical scholar.
Of or relating to the most artistically developed stage of a civilization: Chinese classical poetry.
Music.
Of or relating to European music during the latter half of the 18th and the early 19th centuries.
Of or relating to music in the educated European tradition, such as symphony and opera, as opposed to popular or folk music.
Of, relating to, or being a variety of a language that is epitomized by a prestigious body of literature.
Standard and authoritative rather than new or experimental: classical methods of navigation.
Well-known; classic: the classical argument between free trade and protectionism.
Of or relating to physics that can be described without the use of quantum mechanics or relativity.
Relating to or consisting of studies in the humanities and general sciences: a classical curriculum.
clas'si·cal'i·ty (-kăl'ĭ-tē)or clas'si·cal·ness n.
clas'si·cal·ly adv.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
