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is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe during the 9th and 10th centuries, with later additions and redactions. -
was an Italian music theorist and pedagogue of High medieval music. A Benedictine monk, he is regarded as the inventor—or by some, developer—of the modern staff notation that had a massive influence on the development of Western musical notation and practice. -
was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher, mystic, visionary, and as a medical writer and practitioner during the High Middle Ages. -
was an Occitan poet-composer troubadour of the classical age of troubadour poetry.[1] Generally regarded as the most important troubadour in both poetry and music. -
“The Seikilos Epitaph is the oldest complete musical composition preserved, probably dated to the 1st or 2nd century A.D., and it is a tribute to his wife Euterpe.” -
Was the first known significant composer of polyphonic organum. He was probably French, probably lived and worked in Paris at the Notre-Dame Cathedral and was the earliest member of the Notre Dame school of polyphony and the ars antiqua style who is known by name, thanks to the writer known as Anonymous IV. -
is a term used by modern scholars to refer to the Medieval music of Europe during the High Middle Ages, between approximately 1170 and 1310. This covers the period of the Notre-Dame school of polyphony (the use of multiple, simultaneous, independent melodic lines), and the subsequent years which saw the early development of the motet, a highly varied choral musical composition. -
was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Germany on 1 April. -
was a composer associated with the Notre Dame school of polyphony in Paris and the broader ars antiqua musical style of high medieval music. -
was a French composer and poet who was the central figure of the ars nova style in late medieval music. His dominance of the genre is such that modern musicologists use his death to separate the ars nova from the subsequent ars subtilior movement. -
was a Florentine composer, poet, organist, singer and instrument maker, and a central figure of the music of the Trecento in the Italian peninsula. -
refers to a musical style which flourished in the Kingdom of France and its surroundings during the Late Middle Ages. More particularly, it refers to the period between the preparation of the Roman de Fauvel (1310s) and the death of composer Guillaume de Machaut in 1377. -
was a German inventor and craftsman who invented the movable-type printing press. Though movable type was already in use in East Asia, Gutenberg's invention of the printing press[2] enabled a much faster rate of printing. -
Spanish poet, playwright, and composer.
Considered one of the “fathers of Spanish theater.”
His songs and villancicos represent early Spanish Renaissance polyphony. -
German theologian and main figure of the Protestant Reformation.
He challenged the Catholic Church by publishing the 95 Theses in 1517, opposing indulgences.
Luther translated the Bible into German and defended salvation by faith and the authority of Scripture. -
was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He is generally considered to be the most influential Spanish composer before Tomás Luis de Victoria. -
Was a Spanish Renaissance composer and organist. Blind from childhood, he quickly rose to prominence as a performer and was eventually employed by the royal family. -
was an Italian composer of late Renaissance music. The central representative of the Roman School, with Orlande de Lassus and Tomás Luis de Victoria. -
was a composer of the late Renaissance. The chief representative of the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school. -
Venetian composer and organist.
Important representative of the Venetian polychoral style.
Worked at St. Mark’s Basilica and wrote sacred music, madrigals, and instrumental pieces.
Uncle and teacher of Giovanni Gabrieli. -
Italian composer, singer, and lutenist.
The first woman in history to publish music under her own name.
Known for expressive madrigals demonstrating great command of Renaissance vocal style. -
was the most famous Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He stands with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Orlande de Lassus as among the principal composers of the late Renaissance. -
Nephew of Andrea Gabrieli.
Major influence on late Renaissance and early Baroque music.
Master of polychoral writing and among the first to specify instruments and dynamic markings in scores.
His works helped shape the Baroque orchestra. -
Italian late-Renaissance nobleman and composer.
Famous for extremely chromatic, dramatic madrigals, far ahead of his time.
Also known for the notorious murder of his wife and her lover. -
Transitional figure from Renaissance to Baroque. Innovator in madrigal writing and a pioneer of opera. Key works include L’Orfeo (one of the earliest great operas) and the 1610 Vespers. -
Italian composer, regarded as one of the founders of the Baroque oratorio. His works, such as Jephte, shaped the future of sacred dramatic music. Important in the development of recitative. -
Venetian Baroque composer and singer. Published more vocal music than any other woman of the 17th century. Known for expressive cantatas, arias, and madrigal-like chamber works. -
Italian luthier from Cremona. Crafted violins, violas, and cellos considered the finest ever made, prized for their exceptional craftsmanship and sound quality. His instruments remain among the most sought-after in the world. -
English early-Baroque composer. Known for Dido and Aeneas, sacred anthems, odes, and theater music. Blended English, French, and Italian stylistic elements. -
Italian Baroque composer and violinist. Famous for his violin concertos, especially The Four Seasons. Key figure of the Venetian school and of the development of the solo concerto. -
German Baroque composer, extremely prolific and stylistically diverse. In his lifetime he was even more famous than Bach. Wrote hundreds of cantatas, suites, concertos, and chamber works. -
German-born, later British composer. Outstanding writer of operas, oratorios, and instrumental music. His most famous work is the oratorio Messiah (“Hallelujah”). Representative of cosmopolitan Baroque style. -
German late-Baroque composer, widely considered one of the greatest musicians of all time. Master of counterpoint. Major works include The Well-Tempered Clavier, Brandenburg Concertos, St Matthew Passion, Mass in B minor, and The Art of Fugue.