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Period: 500 to 1450
Medieval Period
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1030
Guido d'Arezzo's (c. 990 - 1050) Micrologus
D'Arrezzo finishes writing his Micrologus ("Little Treatise") which was innovative because it was one of the first known and comprehensive guides for written musical notation. In the Micrologus, he also includes a detailed explanation of his "Guidonian Hand", a useful trick to help people sight sing. -
Period: 1098 to 1179
Hildegard of Bingen lifespan.
One of the most prolific composers and poets during the Medieval period. -
1323
Ars Nova Treatise
Latin for "New Art", it was composer Phillipe de Vitry's treatise written to delineate the style of French music during the late Medieval period which is also aptly named "Ars Nova." In his treaty, Vitry attempts to legitamize duple meter as compared to triple meter, which was the characterizing time signature of the period. -
Period: 1450 to
Renaissance Period
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1485
Josquin’s Ave Maria ... virgo serena Motet
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1529
Martin Luther Chorale "Ein feste burg" (A Mighty Fortress) is composed
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1538
Arcadelt Madrigal Il bianco e dolce cigno is composed
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1567
Palestrina Pope Marcellus Mass is publicized
Palestrina's "Pope Marcellus Mass" was composed for six different voices and contained frequent changes of density within these voices. The publication of this mass essentially rescued polyphony at a point where the musical dogma was very strict during the Counter-Reformation. -
Victoria's "Missa O magnum mysterium" is composed
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Gabrieli's "Sonata pian’e forte" is composed
Gabrieli's "Sonata pian’e forte" was written in Venice and one of the earliest known pieces that included definite dynamic markings in the written notation. -
Period: to
Baroque Period
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Claudio Monteverdi composes L'Orfeo
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First Public Concerts in England
The foremost concerts that were held in England began during the early 1670s. Records and documentation show that the first known public concerts specifically began in English musical composer and violinist John Bannister's house. -
Period: to
Johann Sebastian Bach Lifespan
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Antonio Vivaldi publishes Op. 3: L’Estro Armonico
The publication of Op. 3: "L'Estro Armonico" (Harmonic Inspiration) greatly bolstered Vivaldi's reputation throughout Europe. It determined Vivaldi's regular preference for including three contrasting movements and evolved the utilization of the ritornello form. -
Jean-Philippe Rameau publishes Traité de l’harmonie
Rameau's "Traité de l’harmonie" (Treatise on Harmony) systematized the practices of theory and harmony that he absorbed from his contemporaries into a book. Among these practices involve the inclusion of triads, harmonic inversions, and the fundamental bass. -
J.S. Bach composes The Well-Tempered Clavier Volume One
Volume one of "The Well-Tempered Clavier" contains twenty-four improvisatory preludes and fugues, one of each pertaining to the twelve major and twelve minor keys. It is significant for the tuning system that Bach preferred, and made it achievable to play in every key with adequate intonation. -
Period: to
Franz Joseph Haydn Lifespan
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Handel completes Messiah
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Period: to
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Lifespan
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Period: to
Viennese Classical Period
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Period: to
Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges as director of Concerts des Amateurs
Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges, also known as Joseph Bologne, was regarded as one of the most coveted and virtuosic violinists in Paris. Under his conduction for eight years, "Le Concert de Amateurs" was viewed as the premier orchestra in Paris and one of the finest in Europe. -
Mozart's Don Giovanni is composed
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Haydn's Symphony No. 94 "Surprise" Premiere in London
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Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor Premieres
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Schubert's "Erlkönig" Composed
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Nicolo Paganini 24 Caprices for Violin, Op. 1 First Completed Publication
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Berlioz "Symphonie Fantastique" Composed
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Period: to
Frederic Chopin Mazurkas Op.7 Composed
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Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel's "Das Jahr" Composed
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Period: to
Louis Moreau "Gottschalk Souvenir de Porto Rico" Composed
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Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" original piano composition finished
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George Bizet's "Carmen" premiere
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Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" premiere of complete cycle
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Brahms' "Symphony No.4" premiere
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Mahler's "Symphony No.1 in D Major" premiere
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Dvorak's "Symphony No. 9 'From the New World'" composed
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Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" publication date
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Jean Sibelius' "Finlandia" premiere date
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Claude Debussy's "Voiles” from Préludes Book 1 composed
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Arnold Schönberg's "Pierrot Lunaire" (Moonstruck Pierrot) composed
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Igor Stravinsky's "Le sacre du Printemps" (The Rite of Spring) premiere
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Arnold Schönberg's "Piano Suite, Op.25" fully composed
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Louis Armstrong's "Hotter Than That" recorded
This song was composed by Louis' s wife, Lillian Armstrong, not too long before the recording was taken. -
George and Ira Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm" publication date
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Shostakovich "Symphony No.5" premiere
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Prokofiev's "Alexander Nevsky" film score composed
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Duke Ellington's "Cottontail" composed
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Olivier Messiaen's "Quatuor pour le fine du temps" fully composed
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Bela Bartók's "Concerto for Orchestra" composed
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Copland's "Appalachian Spring" composed
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John Cage's " 4’33’’ " composed and premiered
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Edward Varese's "Poeme Electronique" composed
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Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" album released
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George Crumb's "Ancient Voices of Children" composed
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John Adams' "Short Ride in a Fast Machine" composed
