music, often recorded, intended to provide a soothing background, usually played over loudspeaker systems in public places, as railway stations or restaurants.
2.
music composed specifically to accompany and heighten the mood of a visual production, as a movie.
Origin
1925-30
Examples from the web for background music
If you want to dramatize the moment with sound, that's what the background music is for.
The voice track was dropped and the background music elevated.
There is background music, and there is listening music, and for me it is important not to confuse the two.
The unobtrusive hum of this background music also matches the film's meandering pace, which struggles against a narrative block.
The company also pays bands to let their work be syndicated to restaurants and other establishments as hip background music.
The software could keep e-mail at bay if the user is concentrating, or select background music to suit different moods.
And one thing that has definitely gone in the other direction is the background music.
The crashing surf makes good background music for a torrid affair straight out of a romance novel.
Though the whole movie was gripping, what stands out is background music.
The laid back setting features cushioned bench seating and soft background music.
Contemporary definitions for background music
noun
any music that is intended as unobtrusive accompaniment or a certain atmosphere to an activity or location, or accompaniment to the dialogue or action in a motion picture; also called background