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The Seikilos Epitaph is the oldest musical composition preserved. It originates in Greece and was found in a marble column above a grave that Seikilos had built for his wife, Euterpe, in what is now Turkey. The most common translation of the Epitaph says: "While you live, shine, have no grief at all; life exists only for a short while, and time demands its toll". It is currently kept in the National Museum of Denmark, in Copenhagen. https://youtu.be/GsG9q-5J-ig?si=QjQw-v1gUV4jIBre -
It’s a simple, monodic, a Capella chant (without instrumental accompaniment) and has a free rhythm. It was used in religious liturgies, and its purpose was to elevate the spirit of the religious community, bring them closer to God and serve as an instrument of political and religious unity.
https://youtu.be/3CSg4fXEJCA?si=H4fX5u7t5sNSBpca -
He was a Benedictine monk and a key figure of medieval music. He’s known for establishing the musical system with lines and spaces. He created the tetragram to indicate the pitch of notes and the solfege system using the first syllable of each verse of the hymn dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. -
She was an abbess and composer from the Middle Ages, famous for her talent and spiritual vision. She’s the author of one of the largest repertoires of medieval music, with about 77 liturgical chants and the musical drama "Ordo Virtutum". Her work, called "Symphonia armonie celestium revelationum", is monodic, with free rhythm and wide melodic ranges. -
He was a troubadour and Provençal poet, one of the most distinguished in the Middle Ages. He wrote simple and expressive love poems that showed tenderness and melancholy for impossible love. His work influenced the French lyrical poetry and the troubadours from northern France. He is credited with three song cycles, and his legacy was revalued during Romanticism. -
He was a French composer, poet, and professor and one of the first composers of polyphonic music, associated with Notre Dame school.He is one of the main composers of Ars Antiqua. He is considered the most important composer of organum (the first pholyphonic form developed) from his time. He created the "Magnus Liber Organi" that laid the foundations for written composition and harmony in Western music, and he composed music for liturgical services. -
He was a medieval composer from Notre Dame school, in Paris. He is considered a key figure in the
development of polyphony, in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, in Ars Antiqua. He is known primarily for revising and expanding the "Magnus Liber Organi", a music collection written by his predecessor, Léonin; and for composing music for three or four voices, which was a significant advance in music complexity. -
It’s one of the periods distinguished in polyphony. It mostly developed in France, and its main composers were Leonin and Perotin, from the Notre Dame school. The main forms of this period were: organum (adds a second voice parallel to a Gregorian chant melody), the conductus (melody and text newly created) and the motet (two or three voices singing a different text and with different melody).
https://youtu.be/Eq3GVttwVu4?si=q0P7Nl5ChMvvyDqc -
He was the king of Castile and León between 1252 and 1282. He is known for his intense cultural work, through which he made Spanish an official language and promoted the School of Translators of Toledo. He also advanced legislation and sponsored scientific and literary works such as the "Alfonsine Tables" and the "Cantigas de Santa María". -
He was a French poet and composer from the 14th century. He is considered the most important musical figure of his time and the leading representative of Ars Nova. He is best known as the author of “Messe de Nostre Dame”, the first complete polyphonic mass attributed to a single composer. -
It’s one of the periods distinguished in polyphony. Here, polyphony was perfected with new rhythmic notation that allowed more complexity and subtlety. It mostly developed in France and Italy, and the most representative figures were Guillaume de Machaut and Franncesco Landini. The main forms were the motet (more complex than in ars antiqua), the canon, the ballad and the chanson. https://youtu.be/CagcEfO2iuA?si=gNFvLKsz13SyATgD
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He was an Italian composer, organist, poet and instrument maker of the 14th century. He is considered one of the most representative figures of Ars Nova. He became blind as a child but nevertheless, became a virtuous organist and a central figure in the musical life of Florence. -
He was a German metalsmith, printer, and inventor, best known for inventing the printing press in Europe in 1455. This technological innovation sparked a cultural, social, and scientific revolution. This invention allowed a greater diffusion of music. -
He was a Spanish poet, musician and dramatist of the Renaissance, often considered the creator of the Iberian theatre. He is known for his religious and secular polyphonic compositions, particulary for being the most important composer of secular music in Spain. He is also famous for his role in the court of the Catholic Monarchs and for introducing the Renaissance theatre to Spain. -
He started the Protestant Reformation because he questioned the practices of the Catholic church, such as the sale of indulgence. His teachings, focused on the salvation through faith, and the authority of the Bible, led to the separation of western Christianity and the creation of Lutheranism. -
He was a Spanish composer of sacred music from the Renaissance, considered one of the most important of his time and a leading representative of the Andalusian polyphonic school. His works include masses, motets, and other liturgical forms, characterized by their counterpoint and great expressiveness. His fame spread throughout Europe, and he was a fundamental figure in Spanish music of the 16th century. -
He was a famous Spanish organist, harpist, and composer of the Renaissance, considered one of the most important keyboard musicians of his time. He developed an incredible talent that led him to serve as chamber musician for Carlos V and Felipe II, traveling throughout Europe and staying in contact with several European musical schools. His work was published by his son Hernando in 1578, under the title “Obras de música para tecla, arpa y vihuela by Antonio de Cabezón”. -
He was an Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music, known as the most important representative of the Roman School. His professional career developed mostly in Rome, where he held important positions such as the Kapellmeister in the Basílica de San Pedro and in Santa María la Mayor. He is also famous for his influence in the music of the Catholic Church, being considered by some as the “savior” of church music during the Council of Trent. -
He was an influential Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance, considered one of the most important musicians of the 16th century. He wrote both sacred and secular music in Latin, French, Italian and German, including masses, motets, madrigals and chansons. -
He was an important Italian composer of the Renaissance and the first highly esteemed member of the Venetian school. He also had a significant influence on the diffusion of the Venetian style both in Italy and Germany. -
She was an Italian composer, lutenist, and singer of late Renaissance, mainly known for being the first Western composer whose music was published during her lifetime. She was a pioneer in a field dominated by men, and she stood out for her skill in both musical composition and performance. -
He was a Spanish Catholic priest and Renaissance composer, considered one of the most important of his time along with Palestrina and Orlando di Lasso. His exclusively religious works introduced an innovative style that later influenced the Baroque period, standing out for their expressiveness and the harmonic balance of their polyphony. -
He was an Italian composer of the late Renaissance, known for his madrigals and his sacred music of great expressivity. He stood out for his experimental style, which was considered one of the most innovative of his time. -
He was an influential Italian composer, singer, and musician, considered a key transitional figure between the Renaissance and the Baroque. He is known as the “Father of the Opera” for his work “L’Orfeo” and for his contributions to the development of musical drama, as well as for his mastery in both sacred and secular composition. -
He was an Italian composer and organist who represented the peak of the Venetian school, and is considered a key figure in the transition from Renaissance to Baroque music. Born and died in Venice, he stood out for his polychoral compositions and for being among the first composers to include instrumental parts in the choral works. -
He was an influential Italian Baroque composer, representative of the Roman School, and known as one of the pioneers of the oratorio and cantata. He stood out for his innovations in recitative, and for introducing greater orchestral variety and expressiveness in vocal music. He held important positions as Kapellmeister at the chapel in Assisi and, until his dead, in the church of Sant’Apollinare in Rome. -
She was an Italian composer and singer of the Baroque period, known for her musical skill and publishing more secular music than any other composer of her time. She mainly wrote cantatas, madrigals, and solo songs. Her works are characterized by great expressiveness and technical mastery. -
He was an Italian luthier of the 17th and 18th centuries, known for being the most famous maker of string instruments. He was famous for crafting violins, violas, and cellos of exceptional quality, which are highly valued nowadays. -
He was an English Baroque composer, considered the greatest English composer of all time. He was a prominent figure of his era, and wrote in a wide variety of genres, including operas, sacred music, theatrical music, and instrumental pieces. He created a unique English style by blending French and Italian influences with the national traditions. -
He was a Venetian composer, violinist, and Catholic priest from the Baroque period. He is mainly known for his set of violin concertos “The Four Seasons”, but he also composed many operas and other concerts, influencing later composers, such as Bach. -
He was a German Baroque composer, considered one of the most prolific in history. He was a multi-instrumentalist and musical innovator who incorporated French and Italian styles into his work and enjoyed great fame in his time, greater even than Bach. His extensive output covers all kinds of genres and formats, and he was a pioneer in publishing music journals and organizing public concerts in Germany. -
He was a German composer, considered one of the leading figures of Baroque music. He is known for being the first modern composer to adapt his music for the general public, not only the nobility. Among his most famous works are the oratorio “Judas Maccabaeus”, his most famous composition, the oratorio “Messiah” which includes the renowned chorus “Hallelujah”, as well as orchestral pieces such as “Water Music”. -
He was German composer of the Baroque, considered one of the greatest musicians of all time. He stood out as an organist, harpsichordist, and composed both sacred and secular music. His works are famous for their complexity, emotional depth, harmonic richness and mastery of counterpoint. Some of his most famous pieces include the “Brandenburg Concertos” or the “Goldberg Variations”