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1500 BCE
The First Trumpet
The first known trumpets were traced around 1500 BC Across South America, Egypt, and Asia. At the time, trumpets were used for religious and military purposes like the "bugle". The trumpet being part of the brass family is used in classical and jazz ensembles. Picture URL: http://www.whyharrelson.com/jens-blog/archives/09-2013 -
1000 BCE
Improved Music Theory
Guido D'Arezzo created time signatures and invented solfege which is the musical scale: "Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do". Adding time signatures made music notation much easier for people to read and understand. -
600 BCE
Establishing the Octave Scale
In Ancient Greece, a mathematician named Pythagorus created the foundation of music: the octave scale that contains eight natural keys and five accidentals that is still important to modern day music. PIcture URL: http://signaturesound.com/the-major-scale/ -
600 BCE
The First Music School
Pope Gregory the Great built the first music school in Europe. The school focuses on developing music for the church and training singers in 600 CE. Picture URL: https://petersenvoicestudio.com/2015/09/04/the-schola-cantorums-musical-influence/ -
350 BCE
Music Theory and Notation
Aristotle, the Greek philosopher and scientist wrote on music theory and found a way to write down music on paper in 350 BCE. Picture URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_notation -
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Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Back is unquestionably one of the greatest Western composers of all time. His family had a long relation with music from many generations but when his parents died, leaving him orphaned, he was taken care of at the church which had a large influence in his music compositions. Even when he was dying, he continues to pursue writing music that invokes different emotions to his audience. -
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Franz Joseph Haydn
Born In Austria, Joseph Haydn was key to the development of Classical music. He taught Beethoven himself who turned out to be one of the most well-known composers in the 18th century. Haydn created the styles for the string quartet and the symphony as well. -
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart was one of the greatest composers of all time. At the age of 3, he started playing the piano from watching his older sister. At the age of 5, he wrote his first symphony. Unfortunately, Mozart died at the age of 35 which was relatively young in that age. His music still lived on to inspire and influence many other composers. -
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Ludwig Von Beethoven
Beethoven was a deaf German composer. He was able to write music without being able to hear the music he wrote. Most people can recognize one of his pieces "Ode to Joy", 5th and 9th Symphony. His music created a doorway for the Romantic Era. -
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Richard Wagner
The composer wrote many operas, including his well-known Tristan and Isolde and Ring Cycle. He influenced composer of the late Romantic era and helped it developed. Wagner was a favorite for Adolf Hitler, playing his music at concentration camps. -
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Peter Tchaikovsky
Peter Tchaikovsky was a popular Russian composer. During his career, he was struggling with his homosexuality which is believed led to his death. Without the Tchaikovsky, Classical music wouldn't have this light melody. His most famous works include "The Nutcracker Suite" and "Swan Lake". Tchaikovsky set a standard for Russia as a nation of art and culture amidst chaos. -
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Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland was an American composer who wrote "Appalachian Spring", "Fanfare for the Common Man", and "Hoedown". He was known as a homosexual who traveled with his younger male lovers. Copland's music balanced between modern music and American folk styles, which is said to evoke the vast America.
