Art music traditions refer to music composed in a tradition and intended as serious art, especially as distinguished from popular or folk music. Such traditions often date to a period regarded as the "golden age" of music for a particular culture.

The following table lists music styles from throughout the world and the period in history when that tradition was developed:

Style (ordered by culture)	Historical period when the musical tradition was developed	Notes
Afghan art music (Klasik)	19th century
Andalusian classical music	Caliph of Córdoba
Azerbaijani art music (Mugham)	uncertain
Bangladeshi classical music	uncertain
Cambodian classical music	Khmer Empire
Chinese classical music	Tang Dynasty	The Chinese invented a form of notation called Gongche in the Tang Dynasty. Chinese literature has references to music going back to the Zhou Dynasty, and sets of bells have been recovered from archaeological excavations, but little is known about how the early music sounded.
European classical music	Renaissance to Early modern Europe	This is the European tradition of music developed during early modern Europe which is associated with high culture (including works in this tradition in non-European countries). This style of classical music is commonly referred to as simply "classical music" in the English language.
Indian classical music	Vedic period	Within Indian classical music, there are two distinct traditions, Hindustani and Carnatic. Both forms date to the Vedic period.
Indonesian art music (Gamelan)	uncertain
Persian classical music	Elamnite dynasties
Japanese art music (Gagaku)	Heian period
Korean court music	Joseon Dynasty
Lao music	Khmer Empire
Mandé art music (Griot)	Mali Empire	The tradition of the jeliw
Ottoman classical music	Ottoman Empire
Philippine classical music	Late Spanish Colonial Period
Scottish piobaireachd	Renaissance to Early modern Europe	Played primarily on the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe.
Thai classical music	Khmer Empire