Contemporary classical music is a term often used to describe art music that has been written from the latter half of the twentieth century up to the present time. It has acquired this appellation because it is largely descended from the tradition of Western classical music and is often performed by conventional orchestras. However, it is a controversial term because most such music does not sound similar to classical music in either its narrow sense (music composed during the Classical era) or in its broad (i.e., also inclusive of Baroque and Romantic era music) sense.
With contemporary classical music the emphasis is often on one or more of the numerous novel compositional or performance techniques that have been developed in recent decades rather than emphasizing traditional craftsmanship. These new techniques include the application of new technology, such as electronic instruments (especially electric guitars, keyboards and synthesizers) and electronic recording, the use of other new instruments (such as drum sets), the use of a wide variety of unconventional objects to produce sounds, and the use of traditional instruments in new ways to produce novel sounds. Thus contemporary art music would be a more appropriate term than contemporary classical music.