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Period: 476 to 1420
Medieval Genres
Organums, chants, motets, madrigals, and ballatas were popular. -
1150
Léonin (c.1150-c.1200)
Léonin was a French Ars Antiqua composer of the Medieval era. He created and was known for the "Great Book of Organum". Léonin also created two-voiced music and rhythm modes. Lastly, he worked at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. -
Period: 1170 to 1310
Ars Antiqua
Ars Antiqua was characterized as music with increasingly sophisticated counterpoint and the new thing at the time, polyphony. -
1179
Hildegard von Bigen (1098-1179)
Hildegard von Bigen was a German Ars Antiqua composer. She also was the first female composer to conduct extensive musical research. Hildegard also had visions, composed liturgical poetry, and was given to the convent at age 8. -
1200
Pérotin (fl.1200-c.1238)
Pérotin was a French Ars Antiqua composer of the Medieval era. It's believed he introduced revolutionary polyphonic compositions in four parts into Western music. Pérotin also worked at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame and was known for his "Alleluia Nativitas". Lastly, he was the successor to Léonin and made everything he did more widespread. -
1215
Magna Carta Created
This was a document agreed to by King John of England. It would come to be seen as the beginning of legal limits on the power of monarchs. -
1280
Vielle Created (c.1280)
The vielle was created and used in many songs. -
1280
Lute Created (c.1280)
The lute was created and appeared in art as well as played in many musical works. -
1291
Philippe de Vitry (1291-1361)
Philippe de Vitry was a French Ars Nova theorist, composer, and poet of the Medieval era. He was known as one of the leading intellectuals of his time. Vitry also was the creator of the Ars Nova movement, on which he wrote a complete guidebook to, called the "Ars Nova". -
1300
Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377)
Guillaume de Machaut was a French Ars Nova poet and composer of the Medieval era. He was known for his "Voir-Dit" and his use of polyphony. Fun fact, Machaut also took holy orders in 1323 and entered the service of John of Luxembourg, king of Bohemia. -
1300
Crumhorn Invented (c.1300)
The crumhorn was invented and appeared in art and musical pieces. -
Period: 1310 to 1377
Ars Nova
Ars Nova was characterized as the new and better version of Ars Antiqua and had innovations in rhythmic notation. -
1315
Great Famine (1315-1317)
A series of crop failures and bad weather that struck large parts of Europe. -
1337
The Hundred Years' War (1337-1453)
The Kings of England and France begin a war that would last until 1453. -
1347
Black Death/Bubonic Plague (1347-1351)
This was one of the largest pandemics in history and killed around 200 million people. -
Period: 1360 to 1420
Ars Subtilior
Ars Subtilior was characterized as music with rhythmic and notational complexity. Also, it was often music composed into a picture. -
1370
Johannes Ciconia (c.1370-1412)
Johannes Ciconia was a Flemish Ars Nova and Ars Subtilior composer and theorist of the Medieval era. He worked at Padua Cathedral. Also, Ciconia also had some pieces leaning more early Renaissance. Lastly, "Sus un Fontayne" was one of his more popular pieces. -
1380
Martinus Fabri (fl.1380-1400)
Martinus Fabri was a North Netherlandish Ars Subtilior composer of the Medieval era. Only 4 complete pieces of his have survived, all being ballads and highly complex, 2 Dutch and 2 French. Fabri also had a university degree, which was respected. -
1380
Baude Cordier (c.1380-c.1440)
Baude Cordier was a French Ars Subtilior composer of the Medieval era. Overall, he was the prime example of Ars Subtilior and 10 of his secular pieces survived to this day, most of which are rondeaux. Cordier also loved to compose his music into a picture or symbol. -
1390
John Dunstable (1390-1453)
John Dunstable was an English composer of the Renaissance era. He liked to create triadic music. Fun fact: Dunstable was very popular in his time and had people creating things under his name. Lastly, he didn't get his complete works published until 1953. -
1397
Guillaume Dufay (c.1397-1474)
Guillaume Dufay was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance era. He was noted for both his church music and his secular chansons. “L’homme armé” would probably be Dufay's most notable work. -
Period: 1420 to
Renaissance Genres
Carols, chansons, masses, motets, operas, and madrigals were all popular. -
1435
Johannes Tinctoris (1435-1511)
Johannes Tinctoris was a European composer and theorist of the Renaissance era. He wrote the "Diffinitorum Musices". Tinctoris also thought that the English, especially Dunstable, had an up and coming music style. -
1439
Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, which was necessary for composers to get their works out to the public and also, for newspapers. -
1492
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus began a voyage along the Atlantic Ocean, hoping to reach Asia. Instead, he landed in the Caribbean, beginning the period of European settlement and colonization in the Americas. -
1517
Martin Luther - 95 Theses
Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Catholic church. He listed all his problems with the church and was later excommunicated from the Catholic church. Luther created the form of Christianity known today as Lutheranism. -
1521
Philippe de Monte (1521-1603)
Philippe de Monte was a Dutch composer and teacher of the Renaissance era. He was the musical director to Maximilian II and was a singer in the chapel of Philip II of Spain. Monte left behind hundreds of works. -
1525
Giovanni Palestrina (1525-1594)
Giovanni Palestrina was a very famous Italian composer and conductor of the Renaissance era. He left behind hundreds and hundreds of compositions after his death. Palestrina's music can be described as music with polyphony, tone painting, and dissonances that are typically relegated to the weak beats in a measure. -
1532
Orlando di Lasso (c.1532-1594)
Orlando di Lasso was a famous Flemish composer of the Renaissance era. Fun fact: As a child, he was a choirboy at St. Nicholas in Mons and because of his beautiful voice, he was kidnapped three times for other choirs. Lasso created over 2,000 compositions.