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Period: 497 to 1400
Medieval Period (c. 500 – c. 1400)
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1025
Guido of Arezzo's Micrologus (c. 1025)
A music treatise introducing innovations such as the staff notation system and solmization (ancestor of solfège). It greatly influenced music education in the Middle Ages and beyond. -
1098
Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179)
A German Benedictine abbess, composer, and visionary. One of the earliest known female composers, her works (like Ordo Virtutum) show expressive melodic writing and are preserved in neumatic notation. Hildegard von Bingen was born around the year 1098 and died on September 17, 1179. She lived to be approximately 81 years old. -
1322
Ars Nova Treatise (c. 1322)
A treatise by Philippe de Vitry that introduced new rhythmic notation, allowing greater complexity and flexibility. It marks the beginning of the "Ars Nova" style, distinguishing it from the earlier "Ars Antiqua." -
Period: 1400 to
Renaissance Period (c. 1400 – c. 1600)
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1529
Martin Luther Chorale Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (c. 1529)
A Lutheran hymn composed during the Reformation, embodying Luther’s ideals of congregational singing and music as a tool for teaching faith. -
1539
Arcadelt Madrigal Il bianco e dolce cigno (1539)
A widely popular early madrigal that reflects the humanistic style of the Renaissance, combining expressive text setting with balanced polyphony. -
1567
Palestrina Pope Marcellus Mass (published 1567)
Allegedly composed to demonstrate that polyphonic music could maintain textual clarity, it became a model of Counter-Reformation style. Though the legend is likely apocryphal, the mass remains iconic. -
Tomás Luis de Victoria Missa O magnum mysterium (published 1592)
A rich, expressive setting based on his earlier motet of the same name. It reflects the Spanish mysticism of the Counter-Reformation and Victoria’s mastery of emotional and spiritual intensity.