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The Epitaph of Seikilos is the oldest complete piece of music in the world. It was found on a stone column near the ancient city of Ephesus (in today’s Turkey). It was written by a man named Seikilos for a woman called Euterpe. -
Gregorian Chant is a type of religious music from the Catholic Church.Monks sang it in Latin, with only one melody and no instruments.
It was created to pray and praise God, and it is named after Pope Gregory I. -
He was a music teacher who made it easier to write and read music. He invented the do-re-mi system and the four-line staff, so singers could learn songs faster and remember them better -
A German abbess, composer, and visionary. She wrote sacred music with soaring melodies, composed liturgical songs, and was also a writer and healer. Her music is part of medieval chant tradition -
Alfonso X el Sabio was the King of Castile, León, and Galicia. He is known for promoting learning, science, law, and culture. In music, he sponsored the Cantigas de Santa Maria, a large collection of songs in Galician-Portuguese dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which are important examples of medieval sacred and secular music. -
Bernart de Ventadorn was a French troubadour from the Occitan region. He is famous for composing lyric poetry and songs about courtly love, influencing the development of medieval secular music. His melodies are notable for their elegance and emotional expressiveness. -
Ars Antiqua is a medieval musical period that took place after Christ, roughly between 1150 and 1320 AD. It is known for the early development of polyphony, especially in the Notre Dame School, where composers like Léonin and Pérotin expanded musical complexity through organum and rhythmic modes. Ars Antiqua set the foundation for later innovations that would appear in the Ars Nova period. -
Léonin was a French composer of the Ars Antiqua period, active around 1150–1201. He worked at Notre Dame Cathedral and is known for developing early polyphony, especially organum. He compiled the Magnus Liber Organi, a key collection of liturgical music, and his work paved the way for later composers like Pérotin. -
Composer of the Notre Dame School (late 1100s–early 1200s), famous for early polyphony like Viderunt omnes. Belongs to Ars Antiqua, not Ars Nova. -
A French composer and poet of the 14th century, famous for polyphonic music, motets, and secular songs. He wrote the Messe de Nostre Dame, one of the earliest complete polyphonic Masses -
Ars Nova: A 14th-century French musical movement known for introducing new rhythmic freedom, more precise notation, and boosting secular song forms. Key figures include Philippe de Vitry and Guillaume de Machaut. -
Francesco Landini was an Italian composer and organist of the 14th century. He is famous for his secular songs, especially ballate, known for their melodic beauty and harmonic richness. Blind from childhood, he was a key figure of the Italian Ars Nova and influenced later Renaissance music.