Classical music is more than orchestra music

The term "classical music" is a catchall for everything from solo piano works to Gregorian chant to contemporary instrumental sextets.

To help orientate yourself, start with some of the traditional smaller ensembles where three or four musicians play together.

• Canonical works include Beethoven's set of 16 and Shostakovich's of 15, or listen to living composers such as Elena Ruehr and Jefferson Friedman.
• Trios include Mozart's Divertimento in E-flat, or piano trios (written for a piano and two stringed instruments), such as Schubert's.