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The Ars antiqua (12th–13th centuries) was an early polyphonic style developed mainly in Paris, especially at Notre Dame. It introduced rhythmic modes, expanded polyphony with up to four voices, and forms like organum, conductus, and motet. Key composers were Léonin and Pérotin, and it paved the way for the Ars nova in the 14th century. -
The term Gregorian chant refers to a type of plainchant, simple, monophonic singing with music that is subordinate to the text used in the liturgy of the Catholic Church. However, it is sometimes used more broadly or even as a synonym for plainchant. -
Guido of Arezzo was an Italian monk and key music theorist of the Middle Ages.
He created the music notation with lines and spaces and introduced the solfège syllables ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la.
His book Micrologus was one of the most used music manuals in medieval monasteries and universities.
He is remembered as a great music teacher, and the Catholic Church honors him on March 31. -
Around 1145–1180, this person came from a humble family in southern France.
They became known by singing their own songs and worked at the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine.
In their early poems, the lady they sang about was the wife of the Viscount.
When this secret love was discovered, they were expelled and then went to Eleanor’s court, where they sang about her in many poems. -
Leonin, or Magister Leoninus, is, along with Perotin, the first known composer of polyphonic organum, associated with the Notre Dame School.
An anonymous English monk, now known as Anonymous IV, wrote a century after his death that Leonin was the best composer of organum for the enrichment of the divine service. This is the only written reference we have about Leonin. -
Perotín, called in French Pérotin le Grand (“the Great”) or in Latin Magister Perotinus Magnus (also Perotinus Magnus and Magister Perotinus), was a medieval French composer who was born in Paris between 1155 and 1160 and died around 1230. He is considered the most important composer of the Notre Dame School of Paris, in which the polyphonic style began to take shape. He revised the Grand livre d’organum between 1180 and 1190. -
Hildegard of Bingen was a German Benedictine saint and abbess.
She was a polymath: composer, writer, philosopher, scientist, naturalist, doctor, mystic, monastery leader, and prophet during the High Middle Ages.
Called the “Sibyl of the Rhine”, she is one of the most famous composers of sacred monophonic music and the most recorded in modern times.
Many experts also consider her the mother of natural history. -
King of Castile. He supported culture and music. The Cantigas de Santa María were written during his rule. -
French composer from the Middle Ages. He wrote church music and love songs. -
The Ars nova (“new art”) was the musical style of the 14th century, especially in France. It introduced greater rhythmic freedom and more complex notation than the Ars antiqua, allowing for syncopation, duple and triple meter, and richer polyphony. Its main forms were the motet, the ballade, the rondeau, and the virelai. The most important composer was Guillaume de Machaut, whose works marked a turning point in medieval music and prepared the way for the Renaissance. -
Italian composer known for his happy and melodic songs. -
Invented the printing press around 1450, which made books and music easier to copy. -
Spanish poet and musician. He wrote early plays and many “villancicos.” -
Started the Protestant Reformation in 1517. He also wrote hymns for the Lutheran Church. -
Spanish composer of church music. He worked in the Sistine Chapel. -
Spanish composer and organist. He was famous for keyboard music. -
Very important Italian composer of church music. His style became a model for Catholic music. -
Venetian composer. He used groups of singers and instruments placed in different parts of the church. -
Composer who traveled a lot. He wrote thousands of pieces in different languages. -
First woman in history to publish a book of music. She wrote madrigals. -
Nephew of Andrea Gabrieli. Known for music for several choirs and groups of instruments in St. Mark’s Basilica. -
Italian prince and composer. His madrigals are very expressive and unusual for the time. -
The Seikilos Epitaph is the oldest surviving complete musical composition. It was discovered in 1883 by William Mitchell Connor Ramsay, in Turkey