1. relating to or denoting elements outside the music itself, such as a composer's life, historical context, or programmatic content
Usage: commonly used in music criticism and analysis

Examples

• The composer's extramusical inspiration came from a painting he saw in a museum.
• Some critics argue that extramusical factors should not influence how we judge a piece of music.
• The symphony has strong extramusical connections to the composer's personal struggles.
• Listeners often bring extramusical associations to classical works.
• The program notes provided extramusical context for understanding the ballet's narrative.