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1150
Early Music
Early Music (1150-1400) was full of troubadours and manuscripts connected to the church. The music started off with Gregorian chants that were written in one line. The music evolved during the 13th century to organum which is two or three lines moving independently and simultaneously. Composers:
Hildegard von Bingen
Leonin
Perotin
Guillaume De Machaut -
1400
Renaissance Era
The Renaissance Era (1400-1600) was influenced by innovative thought, discovery, literacy, and art. The Renaissance Era gave way to a more free way or writing as compared to the Medieval Era. There was more variety in notation, rhythm, harmony, and range. Polyphonic style emerged in the Renaissance Era. Composers:
Josquin des Prez
Pierre de La Rue
Philippe de Monte -
Baroque Era
The Baroque Era (1600-1750) sparked a new thinking of music as rhetoric. This especially developed in vocal music. The earliest opera was performed in 1598. The oldest opera still performed today was written in 1607. Instrumentally, the sonata, concerto, and suite emerged. Composers:
Johann Sebastian Bach
George Frideric Handel
Georg Philipp Telemann
Antonio Vivaldi -
Classical Era
The Classical Era (1750-1830) is considered lighter, clearer, and less complex than music from the Baroque Era. Sonata, trio, string quartet, solo concerto, and symphonies were popular varieties of instrumental music. Composers used more contrasts between rhythms and dynamics in pieces. Composers:
Joseph Haydn
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Ludwig van Beethoven
Franz Schubert -
Romantic Era
The Romantic Era (1830-1920) projected expressions, feelings, and emotions. Along with the Romantic Era, came an expansion in the orchestra, dynamics, and range of instruments. Public concerts became an important part of society. Composers:
Robert Schumann
Frédéric François Chopin
Louis-Hector Berlioz
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Antonín Leopold Dvořák
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi -
20th Century Music
20th Century music is broken down into many different categories. It expands from modernism which includes composers such as Rachmaninoff and Gustav Mahler. It also includes experimental music with the works of John Cage.
