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Period: 1400 BCE to 800 BCE
Origins
From the borning of music to the ancient Greece.
It was very linked to religious acts in the great civilisations of Egyptians and Mesopotamians. -
Period: 800 BCE to 146 BCE
Greek Precedents
Throughout this perdiod, the music had a very important development. During this time appeared the firsts musical theatrical performances (that are like the great-grandfather of the opera). -
100
The Seikilos Epithaph
It was a column that above it had the first musical score of the history. It was from the year 100 anno Domini. -
Period: 476 to 1492
Middle Ages
The music was linked to religion more than never, the music was performed by the clergy inside the monasteries. At this time was invented the musical notation. -
680
Gregorian Chant
Was a monodic chant invented to teach the word of God. It was religious so was written in latin and was in a capella.It had three types:
Syllabic: one note per syllable.
Neumatic: based on groups of notes ranging from 2 to 4.
Mellismatic: You say one syllable using different notes. -
700
Neumatic Musical Notation
The first type of musical notation was the neumes, curved and straight lines that showed us the melodical design of the composition. -
1000
Guido D´Arezzo
He established a name for each musical note based on the first syllable of each vers of the hymn dedicated to Saint Jhon the Baptist. -
Period: 1170 to 1310
Ars Antiqua
Was the musical period at the end of the Middle Ages. Their forms were the organum, the conductus and the motet. Their main composers were Leonin and Perotin. -
1179
Hildegard von Bingen
Considered one of the most influential, multifaceted and fascinating personalities of the Late Middle Ages, committed to the Gregorian reform as she was one of the most productive writers of her time. -
1190
Bernart de Ventadorn
He was a popular Provençal troubadour, composer and poet. He is probably one of the troubadours of the Middle Ages. -
1200
Perotin
Was a medieval French composer. He is considered the most important composer of the School of Notre Dame de Paris, where the polyphonic style began to develop. -
1200
Leonin
Together with Perotin, the first known composer of polyphonic organum, related to the School of Notre Dame. French composer, poet and teacher. -
1220
Alfonso X el Sabio
He was the king of the Crown of Castile and also a troubadour in all his facets, because he was in charge of both the production of texts and his music. Of his activity as a troubadour, 44 secular songs remain, 423 religious songs. -
Period: 1320 to 1380
Ars Nova
It was a period of great musical development. During it, society began a slow process of secularisation. The most commonly used form were the motet, other forms are the canon, the ballad or the chanson. -
1377
Guillaume de Machaut
He was a medieval French clergyman, poet and composer. He is the greatest representative of Ars Nova and is considered the most famous composer of the 14th century. -
1397
Francesco Landini
He was one of the most famous and admired composers of the second half of the 14th century and without a doubt the most famous composer in Italy at this time. -
Period: 1399 to
Humanism
Movement that had the idea that the human was the centre of the universe. -
1400
Johannes Gutenberg
Was a German goldsmith, inventor of the modern printing press with movable type in 1455. -
Period: 1400 to 1527
Rennaissance
Very important period for the music evolution that wanted to reborn the ancient Roman and Greek culture. -
1468
Juan de la Encina
He was a poet, musician and playwright of the Spanish Renaissance during the time of the Catholic Monarchs. He achieved great lyrical heights in his glosses and carols, which are credited with his invention. As a playwright, he is considered the founder and patriarch of Spanish theatre. -
1483
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a theologian, philosopher and Augustinian Catholic friar who began and promoted the Protestant Reformation in Germany and whose teachings inspired the theological and cultural doctrine called Lutheranism. -
1500
Cristóbal de Morales
Was a Spanish Catholic priest and chapel master who was the main representative of the Andalusian polyphonic school and one of the three greats of Spanish polyphonic composition in the Renaissance. He is probably the best Spanish composer of the first half of the 16th century. -
1510
Antonio de Cabezón
Was a Spanish organist, harpist and composer of the Renaissance. He was blinded as a child, an adverse circumstance that did not prevent him from pursuing a brilliant musical career. A plaque in the main square of his home town is dedicated to him -
1525
Giovanni Perluigi da Palestrina
Was an Italian Renaissance composer of
sacred music and the best-known representative of the Roman School of musical
composition in the 16th century. His work is considered the culmination of Renaissance
polyphony. -
1532
Orlando di Lasso
Was a Franco-Flemish composer of the late Renaissance. Along with Palestrina and Victoria, he is considered one of the most influential
composers of the 16th century. He was one of the most prolific, versatile and universal composers of the late Renaissance. He wrote more than 2233 compositions, in every genre known at the time. -
1533
Andrea Gabrieli
Uncle of perhaps the most famous composer Giovanni Gabrieli, he was the first internationally renowned member of the Venetian School of composers. He was highly influential in the dissemination of the Venetian style in both Italy and Germany. -
1544
Maddalena Casulana
She was the first female composer to have an entire volume of her music printed and published exclusively in the history of Western music. -
1548
Tomás Luis de Victoria
Was a Catholic priest, chapel master and celebrated polyphonic composer of the Spanish Renaissance. He has been considered one of the most important and advanced composers of his time, with an innovative style that heralded the imminent Baroque. His influence continues into the 20th century. -
1557
Giovanni Gabrieli
He was an Italian composer and organist, born and died in Venice. One of the most influential musicians of his time, he represents the culmination of the Venetian school, framing the transition from Renaissance music to Baroque music. -
1566
Carlo Gesualdo
He was an Italian composer, one of the most significant figures of late Renaissance music. The most famous event of his life was the murder of his first wife and her lover when he found them "in flagrante delicto". Forgotten over time, he was rediscovered in the 20th century due to the fascination with his extraordinary music and his shocking personal deeds. -
1566
Claudio Monteverdi
Was an Italian composer, viola da gamba player, singer, choir director and priest. He composed both secular and sacred music and marked the transition between the polyphonic and madrigal tradition of the 16th century and the birth of lyric drama and opera in the 17th century. He is a crucial figure in the transition between Renaissance and Baroque music. -
Period: to
Barroque
The Baroque was a period in the history of Western culture that originated as a result of a new way of conceiving art the "Baroque style" and which, starting from different historical and cultural contexts, produced works in numerous artistic fields: literature, architecture, sculpture, painting, music, opera, dance, theatre, etc. It manifested itself mainly in Western Europe, although due to colonialism it also occurred in numerous colonies of the European powers, mainly in Latin America. -
Giacomo Carissimi
Was one of the most eminent Italian composers of the early Baroque period and one of the leading representatives of the Roman School. Elected pontifical chapel master in 1649, he introduced the accompaniment of instrumental music in churches and was the first to introduce the cantata with religious themes. -
Barbara Strozzi
Was an Italian Baroque singer and composer. She published eight volumes of her own music and had more secular music in print than any other composer of the time. She achieved this without any support from the Catholic Church and without the constant patronage of the nobility. -
Henry Purcel
Was an English Baroque composer. Considered one of the greatest English composers of all time,2 he incorporated French and Italian stylistic elements into his music, creating a unique English style of Baroque music. -
Antonio Vivaldi
Was a Venetian Baroque composer, violinist, impresario, teacher and Catholic priest. He is considered one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence spread throughout Europe during his lifetime and was instrumental in the development of Johann Sebastian Bach's instrumental music. -
Georg Philipp Telemann
He was a German Baroque composer. He is considered the most prolific composer in the history of music. He was a contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Friedrich Händel. He described his first lessons with clairvoyance and good critical judgment, making clear his innovative position regarding the music of that time. -
Johann Sebastian Bach
Was a German Baroque composer, musician, conductor, choirmaster, cantor and teacher, the most important member of one of the most prominent families of musicians in history, the Bach family. -
Georg Friedrich Händel
Was a German composer, later naturalised English, considered one of the leading figures in the history of music, especially Baroque music, and one of the most influential composers of Western and world music. -
Stradivarius
A Stradivarius violin is one of the stringed instruments made by members of the Italian Stradivari family, most notably by Antonio Stradivari. Stradivarius instruments are highly prized by the world's leading players and antique collectors. The individual and sonic characteristics of these works of art are considered unique, and the instruments are often identified by the name of someone, usually a famous musician who owned them or simply played them at some point. -
Christoph Willibald Gluck
Was a German composer from the Bohemian region of the Czech Republic. He is considered one of the most important opera composers of Classicism in the second half of the 18th century.He had a rivalry with the Italian composer Niccolò Piccinni known as the Gluckist and Piccinnist Quarrel. -
Franz Joseph Haydn
Was an Austrian composer. He is one of the foremost representatives of the Classical period, and is known as the “father of the symphony” and the “father of the string quartet” for his important contributions to both genres. He also contributed to the instrumental development of the piano trio and the evolution of sonata form. -
Nannerl Mozart
Was a famous music of the eighteenth century. She was the older sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the daughter of Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart. -
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Was a German composer, pianist, conductor and teacher from the former Archbishopric of Salzburg. A master of classicism, he is considered one of the most influential and outstanding musicians in history.In his early childhood in Salzburg, Mozart showed a prodigious ability to master keyboard instruments and the violin. -
Maria Theresia von Paradis
Although she completely lost her sight from the age of three, this did not prevent the production and work of this great pianist, singer and composer from continuing to stand out. His contributions were fundamental for the musical education of his time, especially for the blind. -
Ludwig van Bethoven
He was a German composer, conductor, pianist and piano teacher. His musical legacy spans, chronologically, from Classicism to the beginnings of Romanticism. He is considered one of the most important composers in the history of music and his legacy has had a decisive influence on the subsequent evolution of this art. -
Gioaccino Antonio Rossini
Was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces and some sacred music. He set new standards for both comic and serious opera before retiring from large-scale composition while still in his thirties, at the height of his popularity. -
Franz Peter Schubert
Was an Austrian composer of early Romantic music and, at the same time, a continuator of the classical sonata modelled on Ludwig van Beethoven. Despite his short life, he left a great legacy, which includes more than 600 secular vocal works, seven complete symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music and a large number of works for piano and chamber music. -
Hector Berlioz
He was a French composer and a leading figure of romanticism. -
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include symphonies, concertos, piano music, organ music and chamber music. His best-known works include the overture and incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream, etc. -
Robert Schumann
Was a 19th-century German composer, pianist and music critic, considered one of the most important and representative composers of musical Romanticism. His teacher Friedrich Wieck had assured him that he could become the greatest pianist in Europe, but a hand injury ended this dream and he focused his musical energies on composition. -
Frédéric François Chopin
Was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leading musician of his era, one whose "poetic genius was based on a professional technique that was without equal in his generation". -
Franz Liszt
Was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most prolific and influential composers of his era, and his piano works continue to be widely performed and recorded. -
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi
Was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, receiving a musical education with the help of Antonio Barezzi. Verdi came to dominate the Italian opera scene after the era of Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini, and Gaetano Donizetti, whose works significantly influenced him. -
Clara Schumann
Was a German pianist, composer and piano teacher. She was one of the great European concert artists of the 19th century and her career was key in the dissemination of the compositions of her husband, Robert Schumann. Considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era, she influenced a 61-year concert career. -
Bedřich Smetana
Was a composer born in Bohemia, a region that was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire during his lifetime. He pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely linked to Czech nationalism. For this reason, he is recognized in his country as the father of Czech music. -
Johannes Brahms
Was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied yet expressive contrapuntal textures. His œuvre includes four symphonies, four concertos, a Requiem, much chamber music -
Modest Músorgski
Was a Russian composer, a member of the "Five" group. Mussorgsky was an innovator in Russian music during the Romantic period. He strove for a uniquely Russian musical identity, often deliberately challenging the established conventions of Western music. Many of his works were inspired by Russian history, Russian folklore, and other national themes. -
Piotr Ilich Chaikovski
He was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He is the author of some of the most famous works of classical music in the current repertoire, such as ballets. -
Edvard Hagerup Grieg
Was a Norwegian composer and pianist, considered one of the leading representatives of late Romanticism. He adapted many themes and songs from his country's folklore, thus contributing to the creation of a Norwegian national identity. -
Antonín Dvořák
Was a post-Romantic composer from Bohemia, one of the first Czech composers to achieve worldwide acclaim and one of the great composers of the second half of the 19th century. Dvořák's style has been described as "the most complete recreation of a national idiom in that of the symphonic tradition, absorbing folk influences and finding effective ways of using them" -
Nikolái Andréievich Rimski-Kórsakov
Was a Russian composer, conductor, and pedagogue, a member of the group of composers known as The Five. Considered a master of orchestration, his best-known orchestral works and symphonic suite are considered among the core of the classical music repertoire, as are the suites and fragments from some of his fifteen operas. Scheherazade is an example of his frequent use of fairy tales and folk themes. -
Giacomo Puccini
Was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long line of composers, stemming from the late Baroque era. It later developed in the realistic verismo style, of which he became one of the leading exponents. -
Hugo Philipp Jacob Wolf
Was an Austrian composer, particularly noted for his art songs, or Lieder. He brought to this form a concentrated expressive intensity which was unique in late Romantic music, somewhat related to that of the Second Viennese School in concision but diverging greatly in technique. -
Gustav Mahler
Was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism of the early 20th century. Mahler became one of the most frequently performed and recorded of all composers. -
Achille Claude Debussy
Was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born to a family of modest means and little cultural involvement, Debussy showed enough musical talent to be admitted to France's leading music college. -
Johan Julius Christian Sibelius
Was a Finnish composer and violinist of the late Romantic and early Modern periods. He is widely recognized as his country's greatest composer and, through his music, is often credited with helping Finland develop a national identity during its struggle for independence from Russia. -
Arnold Schönberg
Was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-century classical music, and a central element of his music was its use of motives as a means of coherence. -
Joseph Maurice Ravel
Was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In the 1920s and 1930s Ravel was internationally regarded as France's greatest living composer. -
Manuel de Falla y Matheu
Was a Spanish composer and pianist. he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20th century. He has a claim to being Spain's greatest composer of the 20th century,[1] although the number of pieces he composed was relatively modest. -
Béla Viktor János Bartók
Was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hungary's greatest composers. Through his collection and analytical study of folk music, he was one of the founders of comparative musicology, which later became known as ethnomusicology. -
Ígor Fiódorovich Stravinski
Was a Russian composer and conductor, and one He wof the most important and transcendental musicians of the 20th century. His long life allowed him to experience a wide variety of musical movements. In his later years, he composed a large number of classical works in various styles, including primitivism, neoclassicism, and serialism. -
Zoltán Kodály
Was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, music pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is well known internationally as the creator of the Kodály method of music education. -
Joaquín Turina
Was born in Seville. He studied in Seville as well as in Madrid. He lived in Paris from 1905 to 1914 where he took composition lessons from Vincent d'Indy at the Schola Cantorum de Paris and studied the piano under Moritz Moszkowski. -
Wilhelm Richard Wagner
Was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his stage works. -
Heitor Villa-Lobos
He was a Brazilian conductor and composer. His music was influenced by both Brazilian folk music and European classical music. -
George Gershwin
Was an American musician, composer, and pianist. He is popularly recognized for having achieved a perfect amalgamation of classical music and jazz, as evidenced in his prodigious works. -
Olivier Messiaen
He was a French composer, organist, educator, and ornithologist, one of the most distinguished musicians of the entire century. His fascination with Hinduism, his admiration for nature and birds, his deep Christian faith, and his love of instrumental color were all crucial to his development as a person and an artist. -
John Cage
Was an American composer, music theorist, artist, and philosopher. A pioneer of aleatoric music, electronic music, and the non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the postwar avant-garde. Critics have hailed him as one of the most influential American composers of the 20th century. He was instrumental in the development of modern dance. -
Pierre Henri Marie Schaeffer
Was a French composer. He is considered the creator of musique concrète. He is the author of the book Treatise on Musical Objects, in which he expounds his entire theory on this type of music. He composed various works, all based on the musique concrète technique. Among them, his Etude for Locomotives stands out. -
Pierre Henry
Was a French musician, considered the creator, along with Pierre Schaeffer, of so-called musique concrète and one of the godfathers of electroacoustic music. -
Philip Glass
He is an American composer of minimalist classical music. He studied at the Juilliard School in New York. His international recognition increased since the release of his opera. A prolific composer, he has worked in diverse fields such as opera, orchestral music, chamber music, and film. He regularly works with the Philip Glass Ensemble.