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Is the oldest complete surviving Greek musical composition. Found on a tombstone in Aydin, Turkey, in 1883, it includes both lyrics and musical notation, serving as a memorial and conveying a timeless message about the fleeting nature of life and the importance of enjoying the present.
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is a monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song of the Roman Catholic Church, developed from the 6th–7th centuries and traditionally linked to Pope Gregory I . Standardized with neumes by the 9th–10th centuries, it became central to medieval liturgy and influenced later Western music.
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Was an Italian Benedictine monk and music theorist who revolutionized musical notation. He developed the four-line staff, introduced solmization , and created methods that allowed singers to learn chants more quickly and accurately. His innovations laid the foundation for modern Western musical notation.
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Was a German Benedictine abbess, composer, writer, and visionary. She is renowned for her sacred monophonic chants, which are highly original and expressive, as well as her writings on theology, medicine, and natural science. Hildegard’s music and intellectual contributions make her one of the most influential figures of the High Middle Ages.
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Was a French troubadour from the region of Limousin, famous for composing and performing courtly love songs in Occitan. His work exemplifies the troubadour tradition of the 12th century, influencing both poetry and music in medieval Europe.
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Was a medieval composer of the Notre Dame school in Paris, active during the late 12th century. He is credited with compiling and composing the Magnus Liber Organi, a collection of early polyphonic music (organum) for two voices, laying the groundwork for later composers like Perotin. His work represents one of the earliest significant developments in Western polyphony.
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Refers to the style of European medieval music that developed in the late 12th century and lasted until the mid-14th century. It is associated with the Notre Dame school of polyphony in Paris and is characterized by the development of early rhythmic notation, organum, and motets.
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Was a medieval composer associated with the Notre Dame school in Paris, active during the late 12th and early 13th centuries. He is known for developing polyphonic music and expanding the use of organum, creating works for three or four voices, which represented a major advance over earlier styles.
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Was a king of Castile, León, and Galicia who promoted culture, science, and the arts. He is particularly famous for encouraging the creation of the Cantigas de Santa Maria, a large collection of medieval monophonic songs in Galician-Portuguese devoted to the Virgin Mary, as well as for advancing history, law, and astronomy in his kingdoms.
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Was a French composer and poet of the Ars Nova period. He is renowned for his polyphonic sacred music, including the Messe de Nostre Dame, one of the earliest complete settings of the Mass by a single composer, as well as his secular songs like rondeaux, virelais, and ballades. Machaut’s work had a lasting influence on the development of Western music.
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Was a style of medieval European music that emerged in early 14th-century France. It is characterized by innovations in rhythmic notation, allowing greater complexity and flexibility than the earlier Ars Antiqua, and by the development of isorhythms, motets, and secular songs. Key figures include Philippe de Vitry and Guillaume de Machaut, whose works exemplify the style. Ars Nova significantly influenced the transition to later Renaissance music.
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Was an Italian composer, organist, and poet of the Trecento (14th century). He is famous for his secular polyphonic songs, particularly ballate, and for being one of the most celebrated composers of Italian medieval music. Landini was also known as an accomplished organist and for innovations in melodic style.
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Was a German inventor and printer who introduced movable type printing to Europe, revolutionizing the production of books and the spread of knowledge. His most famous work, the Gutenberg Bible , marks the beginning of the print revolution in Europe, significantly impacting literacy, education, and culture.
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Was a Spanish composer, poet, and playwright, considered one of the founders of Spanish secular drama. He is known for his villancicos and early theatrical works, combining music and poetry, which laid the groundwork for later Spanish Renaissance music and theater.
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Was a German theologian, monk, and reformer who initiated the Protestant Reformation by challenging the Catholic Church, famously publishing his 95 Theses in 1517. He also contributed to music by promoting congregational singing and hymnody.
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Was a Spanish Renaissance composer, famous for his sacred music, especially masses and motets. He served in the chapel of the Papal Basilica in Rome and at the Spanish royal court, and his music is noted for its expressive polyphony and influence on later Spanish composers.
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Was a Spanish composer and organist of the Renaissance, renowned for his keyboard music, including tientos, diferencias, and glosas. Blind from early childhood, he served the Spanish royal court, influencing the development of instrumental music in Spain and across Europe.
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Was an Italian composer and organist of the late Renaissance, active in Venice. He was known for his sacred and secular choral music, as well as for innovations in polychoral techniques, which influenced the Venetian School and later composers including his nephew Giovanni Gabrieli.
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Was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance, famous for his sacred and secular polyphonic music, including masses, motets, madrigals, and chansons. He worked at the court of Munich and was renowned for his expressive style and versatility, becoming one of the most influential composers of 16th-century Europe.
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Was an Italian composer, singer, and lutenist of the Renaissance, recognized as the first woman to have her music published. She is known for her madrigals, which display expressive harmony and counterpoint, contributing significantly to the Italian madrigal tradition.
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Was a Spanish composer of the late Renaissance, renowned for his sacred polyphonic music, including masses, motets, and hymns. His works are celebrated for their expressive intensity and mastery of counterpoint, making him one of the most important Spanish composers of his time.
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Was an Italian composer and organist of the late Renaissance and early Baroque, active in Venice. He is famous for his polychoral sacred music and innovations in instrumentation and dynamics, bridging Renaissance and Baroque styles, and influencing composers across Europe.
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Was an Italian nobleman and composer of the late Renaissance, famous for his highly expressive madrigals and advanced use of chromaticism. His music was emotionally intense and experimental, influencing later composers despite being largely unique for his time.
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Was an Italian composer, singer, and theorist, bridging the Renaissance and Baroque periods. He is famous for developing early opera, including L’Orfeo, and for his madrigals and sacred music, pioneering expressive techniques that influenced the evolution of Baroque music.
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was an Italian Baroque composer, renowned for his oratorios, cantatas, and sacred music. He played a key role in the development of the oratorio as a major musical form and influenced many composers throughout Europe, particularly in Germany and France.
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Was an Italian Baroque composer and singer, renowned for her vocal music, including arias, cantatas, and madrigals. She was one of the most prolific female composers of the 17th century, publishing several volumes of music during her lifetime and contributing significantly to secular vocal repertoire.
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Was an Italian luthier from Cremona, renowned for crafting violins, violas, cellos, and other string instruments of exceptional quality. His instruments, known as Stradivarius, are celebrated for their unmatched sound and craftsmanship and remain highly prized by musicians worldwide.
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Was an English Baroque composer, renowned for his sacred music, operas, and instrumental works, including Dido and Aeneas and the King Arthur semi-opera. He is considered one of the greatest English composers of the Baroque era, blending Italian, French, and English styles.
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Was an Italian Baroque composer, violinist, and teacher, best known for his concertos, especially The Four Seasons. He worked primarily in Venice, composing over 500 concertos, operas, and sacred works, and greatly influenced the development of the concerto and Baroque orchestral music.
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Was a German Baroque composer and one of the most prolific composers in history, creating cantatas, operas, orchestral suites, and chamber music. He held important positions in Hamburg and other German cities and influenced contemporaries including Johann Sebastian Bach.
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Was a German composer, organist, and violinist of the Baroque period, renowned for his instrumental and vocal music, including the Brandenburg Concertos, The Well-Tempered Clavier, and numerous cantatas. His mastery of counterpoint, harmony, and musical form made him one of the most influential composers in Western music history.
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Was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, and instrumental works, including Messiah and Water Music. He spent much of his career in London, combining German, Italian, and English musical traditions, and became one of the most celebrated composers of his time.