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       Neoclassicism as it relates to music refers to a period of time in the 20th century, specifically between 1920 and 1950, or roughly between the first and second World Wars. During this period, composers sought to revisit earlier musical principles. Composers were primarily concerned with the principles of music common in the classical period, but also reexamined ideals from other musical periods such as the Baroque and Renaissance.

Music of the Classical period was founded largely on aesthetic concepts such as emotional restraint, balance and order. These principals contrasted the concepts of the Romantic period, in which composers sought to use music to the emotional extreme. They also differed from the concepts within the music of the early 1900s, which was largely experimental. Neoclassical composers did not want to completely eliminate non-classical principles because they felt those concepts were in fact still worthwhile, but they did want to show a respect for old styles and put some basic boundaries on music to make it approachable and understandable. Thus, neoclassical composers combined classical concepts with the musical advances that had occurred to create an entirely distinct compositional philosophy.

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