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Period: 500 to 1400
Medieval music
At that early period polyphonic music was born, it’s when musicians started to play instruments simultaneously. Since Middle Ages, that has became extremely common. Those Musicians were minstrels or troubadours. As most of the population didn't know to write and read, musicians transmitted news by singing and by playing instruments, usually primitive guitars. -
1400
Beginning of the classical music
Here starts the period of the music that we commonly call classical music. -
Period: 1400 to
Renaissance
Polyphonic music was encouraged and it became more famous. At Renaissance times, plastic arts were much more important than musical however, there were famous renaissance musician, as, for example: Palestrina. -
Period: to
Baroque
This is one of the periods of greatest development of music. It started with the creation of opera, at the beginning of the XVII century. In that field highlighted Lully or Händel with his famous 'Hallelujah'. Baroque was used by Catholic counter-reform as propaganda against the new protestant countries, but surprisingly, some of the most important musicians were protestants. One of its characteristics is the distinction of high and low voices in songs. New musical forms were:concerts and sonata -
Johann Sebastian Bach's death
I couldn't end without talking about one of his geniuses. J.S. Bach, who is considered as the best composer of Baroque music and one of the most important in the world. He was a pioneer with the musical form of fuga, and he became famous in his time, for his great capacity of improvisation. This improvisation skill got him to be called by high aristocrats. Among them Frederick II of Prussia, the Musician King. Due to his relevance, his death marks the end of the Baroque. -
Period: to
Classicism
This timespan is short but intense. Some characteristic of Classicism will be: solo instruments, symphonic music as great orchestras and opera. Among the most outstanding musicians are Haydn, Salieri, Beethoven and Mozart. This latter was an absolute genius that controlled all musical genres. -
Period: to
Romanticism
Romanticism doesn't change much from its predecessor. The instruments evolved and new ones appear for example: saxophone.
These great names highlights in the scene: Chopin and Liszt (solos), Schubert and Brahms (quartets), Tchaikovsky and Brahms too (symphonic music) and Rossini and Wagner (opera). Other famous characters were Paganini and Beethoven. -
Period: to
Impressionism
The most unknown classical era. There are musicologists and historians who even defend that it was an extension of Romanticism. As outstanding musician we only have Debussy. -
End of classical music
And this is when classical music is considered to end.