From early times music was applied as background in the Official receptions and stately dinners. Music of the Court of Spanish King Ferdinand II is an excellent illustration showing background music of the Late Middle Ages.
Click here to listen to the background music of the Court of Spanish King Ferdinand II.

** In the 1916 French composer Erik Satie, created so called Furniture music- the genre of music, which is performed "not to be listened to but to pay no attention to this music." His haunting melodies, recurring numerous times without the variations and interruption go ahead of his time for the good half a century, and were the beginning of minimalism. One of the earlier illustration of this type of background music is a piano composition «Vexations» (or the "irritation"), created by Eric Satie in April 1893 in a condition of utmost frustration. The composer is strictly instructed to play it constantly 840 times with no smallest interruption. The entire time of these performance could be up to twenty four hours.
Listen «Vexations» by E.Satie

** Elevator music is usually a common name specifying background music which is usually played in places with lots of people who haven't any intention to listen to a music. Usually it is "gentle" popular or classical music that has a certain psychological effect on the listener. For example in a shopping centers, slow background music tends to have a relaxing effect on customers, causing them to spend more time in the shop and as a result make more purchases
Click here to listen Elevator Music