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Period: 800 to 1400
Medieval/Gothic Period
Featuring monophonic (one melody) music, the Medieval period spanned the longest. A shift towards polyphonic (multiple melody) music paved the road for the beginning of the Renaissance Period. Gregorian chants were also characteristic to Medieval music; unaccompanied strings of vocal melodies. -
Period: 1400 to
Renaissance Period
The Renaissance period is usually divided into sacred and secular music. Sacred music was mostly polyphonic, written in Latin and for use in churches due to the popularity of the Catholic Church. Secular music relied on the courts that could finance musicians. It laid the groundwork for functional harmonies, like major and minor keys, and was mostly vocal. -
Period: to
Baroque Period
Major and minor keys were brought to the forefront, with many melody lines and composers playing around with complex harmonies. Composers also began to include volume changes, solo and ensemble pieces, and differing instrumental sounds. -
Period: to
Classical Period
Composers began to phrase their music in bar measures, with clear cadences, including homophonic textures (melody lines with chord accompaniments) and Alberti bass (broken chord pattern). -
Period: to
Romantic Period
Breaking away from the constraints of the Classical era, composers began to explore emotional expression, larger orchestras, more complex melodies/harmonies, and nationalism in their music. Many lieder (German plural for song) were written during this time; most are written as stories and sung in German. -
Period: to
Modern Period
Modern music is much simpler than any other era in some ways and more complex in others. Modern popular music generally uses the same five chords, just in different progressions. Modern composers break away from tonality (key based music).