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Period: 1150 to 1400
Medieval Era
This is the first period where we can begin to be fairly certain as to how a great deal of the music which has survived actually sounded. Gregorian chant and fanfares were what makes up music during this period. -
Period: 1400 to
Renaissance Era
This era has vastly increased freedoms, most particularly in terms of what is actually perceived as 'harmony' and 'polyphony.' Choral music is mostly what is written during this time, but there are some instrumental things written. -
Period: to
Baroque Era
This era is where the foundations were laid for the following 300 or so years of musical expression: the idea of the modern orchestra was born, along with opera, the concerto, sonata, and modern cantata. -
Birth of Johann Sebastian Bach
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Birth of George Frideric Handel
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Period: to
Classical Era
The Classical period saw the introduction of the sonata form. With it came the development of the modern concerto, symphony, sonata, trio and quartet to a new peak of structural and expressive refinement. -
Birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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Birth of Ludwig van Beethoven
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Period: to
Romantic Era
The Romantic era was the golden age of the virtuoso, where the most difficult music would be performed with nonchalant ease, and the most innocuous theme in a composition would be developed at great length for the enjoyment of the adoring audience. -
Birth of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
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Birth of Igor Stravinsky
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Period: to
Contemporary Era
The period since the Great War is undoubtedly the most bewildering of all, as composers have pulled in various apparently contradictory and opposing directions.