A Classical Music Timeline

A Classical Music Timeline provides a chronological overview of the most important classical music composers, works and events.

Early Music

Early music is typically music from the Medieval period up to the year 1400. This encompasses a wide range of styles and genres, from Gregorian chant to medieval motets to the earliest polyphonic compositions. Early music is often characterized by its use of simple, often monophonic, melodies, as well as by its sparse use of harmony.

Ancient Greece

The earliest reference to music comes from ancient Greece. In Homer’s Odyssey, the bard Demodocus sings about the Trojan War. Music was an integral part of Greek life and culture and played a significant role in religious ceremonies as well as in entertainment. The ancient Greeks were the first to develop a theory of music, which included the concepts of harmony and melody.

Early Greek music was based on a system of modes, or scales. Each mode was associated with a particular emotion or feeling. The three most important modes were the Dorian, Phrygian, and Lydian. Music was often used to tell stories or express emotions. The most famous Greek composer was Sappho, who lived on the island of Lesbos in the 6th century BC.

The Roman Empire

The Roman Empire (27 BC – 476 AD) is conventionally regarded as including the Western Roman Empire from 275 to 476 AD and the Eastern or Byzantine Roman Empire from 330 to 1453. The empire reached its greatest territorial extent under Trajan (r. 98–117), when it extended over five million square kilometers. In 625, the far-flung empire was divided into two separate empires. The Western Empire (which continued to call itself Rome despite its diminishing territory) collapsed in 476, while the Eastern Roman Empire continued until it fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Although Romantic historians such as Edward Gibbon portrayed the Romans as having had an intrinsically classical civilization, more recent scholarship has revised this view.

The Middle Ages

The period of the Middle Ages in Western European music history is generally thought of as lasting from about 500 to 1400, the beginning of the Renaissance. However, since the dates for both the Middle Ages and the Renaissance are somewhat arbitrary, it is perhaps more accurate to think of this era as lasting from about 1000 AD (the date of the composition of the oldest surviving notated work of music) to 1400 AD.

During the Middle Ages, music existed predominantly in oral traditions. This means that much of what we know about medieval music comes from documentation written down by later scholars, rather than from any music that has survived from the period itself. For this reason, our understanding of medieval music is somewhat limited.

Most of the music that has survived from this era is sacred vocal music, such as plainsong (also known as Gregorian chant). This type of music was sung by monks in monasteries, and it was used for worship services and other religious ceremonies. There is also a small amount of secular vocal music from this period, including love songs (known as troubadour songs) and drinking songs (known as Estampie). In addition, a few examples of instrumental music have survived; most notably, a type of dance tune known as Estampie.

Renaissance

The Renaissance was a period of great change for music. In the early 1500s, composers were still writing music in the Medieval style. By the end of the Renaissance, composers had created new styles of music that were quite different from the music of the Medieval period. One of the most important changes was the development of harmony.

15th century

The 15th century is the era of the Renaissance, which saw a renewed interest in the arts, culture, and science. This period is also known as the rebirth of classical music. Early 15th-century composers such as Guillaume Dufay and Gilles Binchois were still writing in the old style of medieval music. However, by the end of the century, composers were beginning to experiment with new sounds and harmonies. The most famous composer of the 15th century is Johann Gutenberg, who invented the printing press. Other notable composers include Guillaume Dufay, Gilles Binchois, Johannes Ockeghem, Josquin des Prez, Heinrich Isaac, and Johannes Gutenberg.

16th century

The 16th century was a time of great change in music. The Renaissance (meaning “rebirth”) period saw the rise of polyphony (multiple voices singing different melody lines at the same time) and the invention of new musical instruments, such as the violin. Composers began to write in new forms such as the madrigal (a type of polyphonic vocal music), while others explored newer styles such as the motet (a polyphonic vocal work with a sacred text).

One of the most important composers of the 16th century was Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, who is considered to be one of the fathers of modern classical music. Palestrina’s style was characterized by its clarity and purity, and he is credited with helping to save polyphony from being banned by the Roman Catholic Church. Other notable composers from the 16th century include Josquin des Prez, Orlando di Lasso, Andrea Gabrieli, and William Byrd.

Baroque

Baroque music is a style of Western art music composition from approximately 1600 to 1750. This era follows the Renaissance and precedes the Classical period. Baroque music is characterized by use of the major and minor scales, abundant use of accidentals, wide variety of harmonic progressions, and extreme contrasts of dynamics, articulation, texture, and timbre.

17th century

The Baroque period of classical music is generally considered to have begun in the late 16th century and to have ended in the late 17th century. Baroque music is characterized by a number of features, including complex harmonic structures, elaborate melodic lines, and a wide range of dynamics. The Baroque period was a time of great creativity and innovation in music, and many of the most famous classical composers (including Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel) emerged during this time.

18th century

The term “Baroque” was first used to describe a period of Western art in the late 1600s. However, the style actually began to take shape in the early 1500s and continued to be used into the early 1700s.

Characteristics of Baroque music include complex melodies, ornate harmonies, and a steady beat. The music is often very emotional, with sudden changes in dynamics and tempo.

Baroque music was created during a time of great religious upheaval. The Catholic Church was losing power and influence, and many people were turning to Protestantism. This led to a lot of religious tension, which is reflected in the music of the time.

One of the most famous composers of Baroque music is Johann Sebastian Bach. His pieces are still performed today, over 250 years after his death.

Classical

Classical music is a style of music that was composed by Western culture musicians between the 17th and 18th centuries. It is characterized by intricate melodies and harmonies, and a wide range of dynamics.

18th century

The 18th century is generally regarded as the time when classical music reached its peak. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach are considered two of the greatest composers of all time, and they both lived and worked during this period. Ludwig van Beethoven, who is often considered the third great composer of classical music, was also born in the 18th century.

During this time, the symphony orchestra began to take shape as a musical ensemble. The concerto, which is a piece of music for one or more solo instruments with an orchestra, also became popular during the 18th century. Opera, which had originated in Italy in the 16th century, also became popular during this time, particularly in Germany and England.

19th century

The 19th century was an important one for classical music, as new compositional styles and genres began to emerge. Among the most important classical composers of the 19th century were Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss II, and Frederic Chopin.

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, his last symphony, premiered in 1824 and is considered one of the greatest symphonies ever composed. Schubert is known for his lieder (German art songs), of which he composed over 600. His opera Alfonso und Estrella premiered in 1854, posthumously. Strauss II was a popular composer of dance music such as waltzes and polkas; his most famous work is The Blue Danube Waltz, which was first performed in 1867. Chopin was a Polish composer who wrote mainly for solo piano; his best-known works include the Polonaise in A-flat Major and the Funeral March.

Romantic

The late 18th and early 19th centuries were a time of both scientific and social revolutions. The Industrial Revolution had begun, and with it came new ideas about work, life, and the role of music in society. At the same time, the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars were shaking up Europe. These events had a profound effect on the development of classical music.

Early Romantic

The Early Romantic period is conventionally taken to include the years between 1815 and 1850. The literature of the first half of this period was dominated by Romanticism proper, while the latter half saw the shift from Romanticism to Victorianism. This book provides a comprehensive overview of Early Romantic music, with each chapter written by a leading expert in the field.

The first chapter situates Early Romantic music in its historical and musical contexts, charting its development from the end of Haydn’s career and the rise of Beethoven, to Schubert’s final songs and Chopin’s early years.Subsequent chapters explore specific genres and national schools within the Early Romantic period, including Italian opera, German lieder, British song, American music, Russian solo piano music, French grand opera, and Slavic church music.

The book also discusses key figures such as Beethoven, Schubert, Berlioz, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Spohr, Webern, humboldt gothic Wackenroder Wolves , Tieck , Schlegel , animal magnetism/mesmer fidelio Marx Brothers hegelian dialectic/Absolute Spirit 1827 bronchitis smoking cigars

This wide-ranging volume will be essential reading for all students and scholars of nineteenth-century music.

Late Romantic

The late Romantic period in classical music ran roughly from 1870 to 1920. This era was characterized by a bewildering variety and diversity of styles, as composers experimented with new harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic ideas. Many of the masterpieces of the late Romantic period are notoriously complex and challenging to perform, making them some of the most revered works in the classical repertoire.

Modern

Music has been around for centuries, with different styles evolving and changing over time. Classical music is often considered to be old-fashioned, but it has actually undergone a lot of evolution in the last few hundred years. In this article, we’ll take a look at the timeline of classical music, starting from the modern era.

Early Modern

In the early modern period (c.1600-1750), composers sought to recreate the forms and feelings of ancient Greek music. This was done by returning to simplicity, balance, and symmetry. The concerto grosso form, in which a small group of instruments (the concertino) plays together against a larger group (the ripieno), became increasingly popular. Other important genres included the cantata, oratorio, and opera.

Late Modern

Late Modern (1945–2000) is the last period of time in which classical music was composed. This period saw continued diversity in styles, but a number of composers began to move away from traditional tonality and toward more experimental idioms. Among the trends that emerged during this time were serialism, atonality, and minimalism.