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Period: 500 to 1450
Medieval Period
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1030
Guido of Arezzo's Micrologus
He created the first modern musical notation, which is the staff notation. Arezzo created the Hexachord system, and he also made the Guidonian Hand. This Guidonian hand was a hand solfège system, and it helped singers acquire relative pitch when sight singing. -
Period: 1098 to 1179
Hildegard of Bingen
She was one of the most remarkable contributors to the Gregorian chant, and she also discovered polyphony. -
1323
Ars Nova Treatise
This Treatise, written by Philippe de Vitry, brought new innovations to the notation of musical rhythms. Vitry indicates the meter in the notation for the first time. -
Period: 1450 to
Renaissance Period
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1485
Josquin’s Ave Maria ... virgo serena Motet
Josquin's Ave Maria was called the "Mona Lisa" of Renaissance music. The Renaissance motet used polyphony and Latin, instead of the Mass Ordinary. -
1529
Martin Luther Chorale Ein feste burg (A Mighty Fortress..)
He was a prominent leader in the Protestant Reformation. He created the chorale which was the adaptation of the existing chant and German devotional songs. He created secular tunes and new melodies. -
1538
Arcadelt Madrigal Il bianco e dolce cigno
The early madrigals were used as social music for amateurs, which meant that it was easily sight-readable. -
1567
Palestrina Pope Marcellus Mass
The legend was that Pope Marcellus wanted to shorten polyphony in his masses, but Pope Marcellus only ran for three weeks as Pope. Palestrina tried to show perfection by utilizing Ars Perfecta. His works were similar to a cappella because no instruments were allowed in the Sistine Chapel. -
Victoria Missa O magnum mysterium
Victoria composed a parody mass for this piece. -
Gabrieli Sonata pian’e forte
This piece was performed in St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, Italy. This piece was performed by separate choirs. Gabrieli introduced terraced dynamics, which meant that there were extremes in music. Additionally, he introduced and highlighted the importance of different parts in music. Everyone had their own parts to practice and perform. -
Period: to
Baroque Period
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Monteverdi's L’Orfeo
L’Orfeo was one of the first operas ever written, and this piece led the way to the genre of opera today. -
First Public Concerts in England
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Period: to
JS Bach
He was known to be one of the best composers of the baroque period. His works are still famous today. -
Antonio Vivaldi's L’Estro Armonico
This piece was published in 1711. The significance of this piece is that L' Estro Armonico was Vivaldi's first collection that he wrote in Amsterdam. Most importantly, this piece sparked Vivaldi's fame throughout Europe. -
Rameau's Traité de l’harmonie
This piece was published in 1722. The significance of this piece is that his Traité de l’harmonie (Treatise on Harmony) introduced harmonic principles or the basics of music theory today. For instance, he found out that the root was the initial note of a chord. -
Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier volume 1
The first volume was published in 1722. The Well-Tempered Clavier consisted of 24 Preludes and Fugues. The most important part was that Bach did not use equal temperament, instead, he used well-temperament. -
Period: to
Franz Joseph Haydn
Haydn taught himself how to write music, and he became one of the most influential composers of his time and today. -
Handel's Messiah
The Messiah was completed in 1741, but it first premiered in 1742. This performance was drawn from the religious aspects of the Bible, and there are three sections. The sections go from Prophecy and Fulfillment, Suffering, and then Redemption. The famous Hallelujah chorus comes from this piece. -
Period: to
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
He was one of the most influential composers of the classical period, and his works are still famous today. -
Period: to
Viennese Classical Period
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Period: to
Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges as director of Concerts des Amateurs
Joseph Bologne becoming the director was a huge deal for Concert des Amateurs. This orchestra was one of the finest orchestras in Europe, and Joseph Bologne being an African American was quite the feat. He was called the "Black Mozart", and he was also known as one of the best French composers of that time. Even US President John Adams called him "the most accomplished man in Europe". -
Mozart's Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is one of the most famous operas that Mozart composed. It discusses class struggles between the nobility and the servants. -
Haydn's Symphony No. 94 "Surprise"
March 23, 1792, was the premiere date in London. This piece literally "surprises" people because there are jump scares throughout the entire performance. There are sudden changes in dynamics, so it wakes the audience up. -
Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor
The premiere date of Beethoven No. 5 was December 22, 1808. This premiere was held in Vienna, and this Symphony is one of the most famous symphonies today. Everyone knows this Symphony due to the 4-note motif of short-short-short-long. -
Schubert Erlkönig
The Erlking was composed in 1815. This piece was Schubert's first piece that he attempted to publish. This piece is quite unusual and creepy due to the lyrics, but I still enjoy it. There are four characters, but the Erlking trying to get the child's attention is quite creepy. -
Nicolo Paganini 24 Caprices for Violin, op.1
The 24 Caprices for Violin, op. 1 was published in 1820 and composed in 1805. There is a myth that Paganini sold his soul to the devil in order to play these crazy pieces. Even to this current day, Paganini's Caprices are one of the hardest pieces to play for violinists. -
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique
This piece was composed in 1830, and it was known to be one of the first programmatic symphonies. This story is about Schubert's destructive love for Harriet Smithson. Schubert was madly in love with her, so it portrays the emotional roller coaster of Schubert's obsession. There is a similarity to dying at the end. -
Period: to
Frederic Chopin Mazurkas Op.7
Chopin's Mazurkas, Op. 7 were composed between 1830-1832. A Mazurka is a lively Polish dance in triple time. I noticed that the Mazurka usually has the second beat accented. I really enjoyed listening to the Mazurka example that we played in class because I have heard it for a while now already. -
Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel Das Jahr
This piece was created in 1841. The Das Jahr was a Christmas gift from Fanny Hensel, and it was a piano cycle compromised of twelve pieces. Each one depicted a month of the year. -
Period: to
Louis Moreau Gottschalk Souvenir de Porto Rico
This piece was composed in 1857, and this piece is known to be a pretty difficult piece for pianists to play. Gottschalk was known to be one of the greatest pianists of all time. He was called the "King of Pianists" for a reason. For me, I really enjoyed listening to his playing. It just sounded so free and lively. I especially loved the Caribbean rhythms. -
Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition
This piece premiered in 1874 for solo piano, and this piece was created with an art exhibition image. This story tells us about the 10 different paintings or movements that Mussorgsky saw and composed. -
Bizet Carmen
This piece premiered in 1875, and it is about a gypsy woman seducing a man. I remember my friend playing this, so I am familiar with this piece. -
Wagner Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen consists of four cycles of German-language epic music dramas that premiered in 1876. -
Brahms' Symphony No.4
This Symphony, which premiered in 1885, was Brahm's last Symphony. He wrote only four Symphonies because he was a perfectionist. -
Mahler Symphony No.1
This Symphony premiered in 1889. The third movement of Symphony no. 1, the Funeral March, is one of the most famous movements. -
Dvorak Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"
This Symphony premiered in 1893, and this Symphony is one of the most famous symphonies that have been played. -
Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag
This piece was published between August 10 and September 20, 1899 in Sedalia, Missouri. This work is an early ragtime composition, and this piece became one of the models for future ragtime compositions. -
Jean Sibelius' Finlandia
This piece premiered on July 2, 1900, and this piece is a tone poem. This work is considered to be one of the most famous works of Sibelius. The melody of "Be Still, My Soul" was a huge part of this piece. -
Claude Debussy's Voiles” from Préludes Book 1
This piece was composed in 1910 as a tribute to Chopin, and each prelude had a descriptive title. -
Arnold Schönberg's Pierrot Lunaire
This piece was composed in 1912, and it was about a murder. The sound was very creepy when we were listening to it in class. -
Igor Stravinsky's Le sacre du Printemps
This piece premiered on May 29, 1913. This work was performed as a ballet about scenes from Pagan Russia. Primitivism was portrayed in this work. -
Period: to
Arnold Schönberg's Piano Suite, Op.25
This piece was between 1921 and 1923, and this composition introduced 12 tone technique. -
Louis Armstrong's "Hotter Than That"
"Hotter Than That" is known as one of the most famous jazz pieces, and this piece was dedicated to Armstrong's wife. There is not much melody but improvisation. -
George and Ira Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm"
"I Got Rhythm" was published in 1930, and it was from Girl Crazy. -
Shostakovich Symphony No.5 premiere
This piece premiered on November 21, 1937, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. This piece became one of the biggest hits for Shostakovich, unlike his previous piece which was heavily criticized. However, you can tell that Shostakovich was mocking the Russian government through this piece. -
Prokofiev Alexander Nevsky (film)
This piece was written in 1938, and this film was targeted at the Soviet Union at the time. This film gave hope and patriotism for the Russian government. -
Duke Ellington's Cottontail
This piece was written in 1940, and it was based on the rhythm changes of "I Got Rhythm". -
Period: to
Olivier Messiaen's Quatuor pour le fine du temps
This was written between 1940-1941 by Messiaen in a concentration camp. This quartet piece is also called the Quartet for the End of Time. He wrote it as a way of meditation, but he also wrote it as a piece related to death. -
Bela Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra
This work was composed in 1943. The unique aspect of this piece was that each section of the orchestra had a soloistic part. -
Copland Appalachian Spring
This piece was written in 1944, and this work was one of Aaron's most famous ballets. He wrote this piece dedicated to Martha Graham, who was a ballerina. This work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1945. -
John Cage's 4’33’’
This piece was written in 1952, and I just noticed that the pianist does not play. There are only sounds are a stopwatch and the piano cover closing or opening. This piece can be seen as extreme minimalism. -
Period: to
Edward Varese Poeme Electronique
This piece was a 1957-1958 electronic music composition, and it was performed at the 1958 Brussels Exposition. -
Miles Davis Kind of Blue
This work was created in 1959, and this work has been one of the most famous jazz albums of all time. Miles Davis was known to use improvisation in his works. -
George Crumb's Ancient Voices of Children
This piece was written in 1970, and it was about a child dying every afternoon. It is about death, and there is a toy piano which makes it sound like a horror film. -
John Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine
This piece is an orchestral fanfare written in 1986, and it was about the excitement and terror of a night ride in a sports car.