-
200 BCE
Development of compass
-
524
Boethius (ca. 480- ca. 524)
Roman writer and statesman; important as a music theorist with his De institutione musica ("The Fundamentals of Music", early 500's) -
1033
Arezzo (ca. 991- after 1033)
Music theorist; he is credited with creating a system of precise pitch notation through lines and spaces on a staff; he advocated a method of sight singing using the syllables; his treatise, Micrologus, is the earliest and best treatise on musical composition of chant and polyphony -
1050
Burgundy (ca. 955-ca. 1050)
Priest, poet, and composer -
1126
William IX (1071-1126)
Duke of Aquitaine, Count of Poitiers, father of Eleanor; earliest of the troubadours whose works survive; respected nobleman, but remembered for his womanizing -
1179
Von Bingen (1098-1179)
Composer of the first morality play; known as the Sybil of the Rhine; writer, composer, theologian; her counsel was sought after by rulers -
1199
Lionheart (1157-99)
King of England from 1189-99; son of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II; a trouvere; he never learned English -
1200
Ventadorn (ca. 1130-40-ca. 1190-1200)
Famous troubadour; perhaps the finest of the troubadour poets; very important musically to us because more of his music survives than any other 12th-century poet -
1200
Bornelh (ca. 1140-ca. 1200)
Troubadour; Dante ranks him second only to Arnaut Daniel; his contemporaries called him the master of the troubadours -
1200
de Nesle (ca. 1155/60-1200)
One of the most important early trouveres; his works show up in multiple manuscripts -
1200
Daniel (?1150-60-ca. 1200)
Dante esteemed him above all other troubadours; master of the "difficult" style; he took the poetic style to new heights -
1200
Use of gunpowder
-
1201
Leoninus (ca.1135-ca. 1201)
Master of organum purum at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris; our information comes largely from Anonymous IV's writings -
1205
Vidal (fl. ca. 1183-ca. 1205)
Troubadour; eccentric character; wide ranging melodies -
1207
Vaqueiras (fl. 1180-1207)
Troubadour; fluent in many languages -
1212
de Dia (d. ca. 1212)
Famous female troubadour; she has left us the only surviving melody by a female troubadour -
1213
Brule (ca. 1160-after 1213)
One of the earliest trouveres and most famous poets; melodies show influence of Gregorian Chant -
1230
Vogelweide (ca. 1170-1230)
Poet and Minnesinger; worked at the Viennese court; he wrote the earliest surviving minnesinger melody; his contemporaries considered him the leading composer and poet among Minnesinger -
1230
Peguilhan (ca. 1175-ca. 1230)
Troubadour; his works were admired by many writers -
1236
Reuntal (ca. 1190-after 1236)
Austrian Minnesinger; one of the earliest German poets; folk like style; his works were the only Minnesinger songs printed in the renaissance; sang in Vienne -
1238
Perotin (fl. 1180-ca. 1238)
Master of the discant organum at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris; supposed student of Leonin; wrote 3 and 4-voice organum; his identity is regarded as speculative -
1239
d'Arras (fl. 1213-39)
Trouvere; wrote in several genres and forms; monk at Arras -
1245
le Vinier (ca. 1190-1245)
Trouvere and priest at Arras -
1250
Anonymous IV (probably fl. 1250+)
Music theorist; his treatise of the same name, gives us information about Leonin, Perotin and organum; we think he was a student of England -
1253
Thibaut IV (1201-53)
Trouvere; Count of Champagne, King of Navarre (1234-53); he headed crusades to Jerusalem; prolific composer and poet -
1278
Cardenal (?1180-?1278)
One of the most celebrated troubadours of his time; he was fond of satirical criticism of contemporary nobility and clergy -
1284
Alfonso X (1221-84)
Spanish monarch; King of castile and Leon; bother-in-law of Edward I of England; patron of literature and art; initiated the study of music at Salamanca University; helped compile Cantigas de Santa Maria -
1288
la Halle (ca. 1245-50-ca. 1285-8)
One of the last trouveres; wrote polyphony; studies in Paris -
1300
Riquier (ca. 1230-ca. 1300)
The last of the troubadours; lived in Spain under Alfonso X -
1300
Harpsichord
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1361
Vitry (1291-1361)
Known as the "inventor of a new art," French composer, poet, theorist, and bishop; established a new tradition of menstrual notation -
1361
Vitry (1291-1361)
Known as the inventor of a new art, french cmposer, poet, theorist, and bishop; established a new tradition of mensural notation -
1363
Firenze (ca. 1320-25-1362/63)
Italian composer; ranks second in importance to l
Landini; priest -
1377
Machaut (ca. 1300-77)
The leading composer and poet of the Ars Nova; his importance and innovations are extraordinary -
1386
Bologna (fl. 1340-1386?)
Italian composer; virtuoso harpist; theorist; teacher of Landini; wrote a treatise on notation -
1397
Landini (ca. 1325-97)
Known for his cadneces; virtuoso organist; blind from early age; most celebrated musical personality of the Trecento; also an instrument maker -
1400
Cordier (fl. early 1400's)
French composer; he wrote in the older style and in the new modern ars subtilor; his rondeau, Belle bonne sage, was published in musical notation in the shape of a heart -
1453
Dunstable (ca. 1390-1453)
English; influenced music in Europe -
1460
Binchois (ca. 1400-60)
Early renaissance composer, often paired with Dufay in importance; served at the Court of the Duke of Burgundy; Franco-Flemish -
1474
Du Fay (ca. 1397-1474)
Franco-Flemish; the first important Renaissance composer; used older medieval cadences -
1497
Ockeghem (ca. 1410-97)
Bass singer; served 3 kings; very respected; did not use much imitation; born in Northeastern France; important teacher -
1505
Obrecht (ca. 1457-1505)
Made important contributions to large-scale forms and their unity; Dutch; important composer of masses in Europe -
1511
Tinctoris (c. 1435-1511)
composer and music theorist; wrote about contemporary music -
1517
Isaac (ca. 1450-1517)
Franco-Flemish composer who influenced German music; court composer to Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I in Vienna; served in Florence as well -
1518
la Rue (ca. 1452-1518)
Leading composer at the Burgundian court; never worked in Italy; very famous in his day; frequent use of canon and ostinato; preferred low sonorities -
1519
da Vinci (1452-1519)
Few people knew of his compositions -
1521
des Prez (ca. 1450-55-1521)
Considered by Martin Luther to be the "best of the composers of our time" and "the master of the notes;" he was said to have had no peer in music; French -
Tallis (1505-85)
English composer who wrote a 40-voice part motet -
Palestrina (1525-94)
The most famous composer from the Rennasiance -
Period: to
1430 is the middle ground