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19
Epitaph of Seikilos
Is the oldest complete musical composition currently preserved. Is part of a Greek inscription written on a marble column placed over the tomb that Sícilo had built for his wife Euterpe -
476
Fall of Rome
The Fall of Rome occurs, ending the Ancient Ages and beginning the Middle Ages. -
Period: 476 to Oct 12, 1492
Middle Ages
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590
Gregorian chant
Is a plain, simple and monodic type of chant -
Mar 1, 843
Treaty of Verdun
Ludovico Pio, son of Charlemagne, was declared successor, and ruled as emperor of the Romans. -
Nov 8, 962
The Holy Roman Empire
Otto I of Germany was the successor to Henry the Fowler, the Duke of Saxony, who became the first Saxon emperor. Like his father, Otto I managed to protect the Germans from the Magyar invaders. He was made king in Aachen, at the palace of Charlemagne, and wanted to restore the Carolingian Empire. -
Apr 5, 992
Guido d’Arezzo
Guido d'Arezzo was an Italian Benedictine monk and music theorist who is one of the central figures of medieval music along with Hucbaldo -
Oct 14, 1066
The Battle of Hastings
On 14 October 1066, William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, defeated the last Anglo-Saxon king, Harold II. Thus he established the Norman Empire, and to protect it he rewarded all his supporters who fought for him in the war with large portions of land in England. -
Mar 4, 1098
Hildegard von Bingen
Hildegard of Bingen was a German Benedictine and polymath abbess, active as composer, writer, philosopher, scientist, naturalist, physician, mystic, monastic leader and prophetess during the middle ages. -
Period: Jul 4, 1150 to Jul 4, 1201
Léonin
Léonin or Magister Leoninus (fl. 1150-1201) is, together with Perotín, the first known composer of polyphonic organum, related to the Notre Dame School.
An anonymous English monk, now known by the name of Anonymous IV, wrote a century after his death that Léonin was the best organum composer for the expansion of divine service. This is the only written reference to Léonin. -
Period: May 3, 1155 to Apr 5, 1230
Perotín
was a French medieval composer, born in Paris between 1155 and 1160 and died around 1230. Considered the most important composer of the Notre Dame School in Paris, where the polyphonic style began to take shape. -
Sep 2, 1170
Ars Antiqua
It is the music of Europe of the late Middle Ages -
Mar 5, 1190
Bernart de Ventadorn
Bernart de Ventadorn, also known as Bernart de Ventadour and Bernard de Ventadorn, was a popular troubadour, composer and Provencal poet. He is probably the best known troubadour of the style called trobar leu. -
Sep 5, 1215
Declaration of the Magna Carta
The Magna Carta Libertatum, or Great Charter of Liberties of England, was originally issued in 1215. This letter is considered the first step towards constitutional government in England. The Magna Carta restricted the king’s power and showed the importance of a constitution. -
Nov 23, 1221
Alfonso X de Castilla
Alfonso X of Castilla, called el Sabio, was the king of the Crown of Castile and the other kingdoms entitled between 1252 and 1284. -
Mar 5, 1310
Ars Nova
Designates the musical production, both French and Italian, after the last works of the ars antiqua until the predominance of the school of Burgundy. -
Period: Sep 5, 1315 to Jul 3, 1317
The Great Famine
The whole of northern Europe suffered from the Great Famine, which began in 1315 and lasted for two years until 1317. During this period, a large part of the population died from hunger and disease. -
Sep 2, 1325
Francesco Landini
Francesco Landini was an Italian composer, organist, singer, poet, constructor of instruments and astrologer. It was one of the most famous and admired composers of the second half of the 14th century and undoubtedly the most famous composer in Italy. -
Period: Mar 8, 1337 to May 4, 1453
The Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War began in 1337, between the kingdoms of England and France to solve the feudal problem of large English lands in France.
There were many periods of peace and ceasefire between England and France during the period, this war continued until 1453, with the defeat of England and the departure of English troops from France except for Calais. -
Period: Jul 5, 1348 to Jul 6, 1350
The Black Plague
The Black Death is the most devastating epidemic in history, and it significantly weakened the feudal system and the Church in Europe. Millions of people died prematurely from this plague and the economic and political power of the kingdoms of Europe was significantly reduced.
It emerged in Asia and spread rapidly along trade routes. There was a major political, social and health crisis. -
Jun 3, 1377
Guillaume de Machaut
Guillaume de Machaut, was a French cleric, poet and medieval composer. His projection was enormous and he is historically the greatest representative of the movement known as Ars nova, being considered the most famous composer of the fourteenth century. -
Period: May 4, 1378 to Mar 5, 1417
The Schism of Avignon
The Church first suffered a shock in 1054, when it split into the Eastern and Western Christian Churches. The Eastern Orthodox Church believed that the Western Church was corrupt and exploitative. -
Apr 15, 1452
Leonardo da Vinci
He was a Florentine polymath of the Italian Renaissance. He was a painter, anatomist, architect, paleontologist, botanist, writer, sculptor, philosopher, engineer, inventor, musician, poet and urban planner. -
Feb 3, 1468
Johannes Gutenberg
Was a German goldsmith, inventor of the modern printing press with movable types, around 1450. -
Jul 12, 1468
Juan del Encina
He was a poet, musician and theatrical author of the Spanish Renaissance in the time of the Catholic Monarchs. Together with Juan de Anchieta, Juan de Urreda, Joan Cornago, Francisco de Peñalosa as one of the greatest exponents of religious and profane polyphony in Spain from the late fifteenth century and early sixteenth, during the reign of the Catholic kings. -
Nov 10, 1483
Martín Lutero
He was a theologian, philosopher and Augustinian Catholic friar who initiated and promoted the Protestant Reformation in Germany and whose teachings inspired the theological and cultural doctrine called Lutheranism. -
Period: Apr 6, 1490 to
The Renaissance
The large cultural movement in Western Europe -
Aug 6, 1500
Cristóbal de Morales
He was a Spanish Catholic priest and chapel master being the main representative of the Andalusian polyphonic school and one of the three great, together with Tomás Luis de Victoria and Francisco Guerrero, of the Spanish polyphonic composition of the Renaissance. -
Mar 30, 1510
Antonio de Cabezón
He was a Spanish Renaissance organist, harpist and composer. -
Feb 3, 1525
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
He was an Italian renaissance composer of sacred music and the best known representative of the 16th century Roman school of musical composition. -
Feb 6, 1532
Orlando di Lasso
He was a French-Flemish composer of the late Renaissance. Along with Palestrina and Victoria, he is considered one of the most influential composers of the 16th century. -
Sep 3, 1533
Andrea Gabrieli
He was an Italian composer and organist of the late Renaissance. -
Oct 1, 1541
El Greco
He was a Cretan painter of the late Renaissance who developed a very personal style in his mature works. -
Apr 2, 1544
Maddalena Casulana
She was an Italian composer, lute performer and singer of the late Renaissance. She was the first female composer to have an entire volume of her music printed and published in the history of Western music. -
Sep 29, 1547
Miguel de Cervantes
He was a Spanish novelist, poet, playwright and soldier. He is widely considered one of the greatest figures in Spanish literature. He was the author of Quijote, a novel that became world-famous and which many critics have described as the first modern novel, as well as one of the best works of universal literature, whose number of editions and translations is only surpassed by the Bible. -
Sep 3, 1548
Tomás Luis de Victoria
He was a Catholic priest, maestro de capilla and celebrated polyphonic composer of the Spanish Renaissance. He has been considered one of the most relevant and advanced composers of his time, with an innovative style that announced the imminent baroque. -
May 1, 1557
Giovanni Gabrieli
He was an Italian composer and organist, born and died in Venice. One of the most influential musicians of his time, represents the culmination of the Venetian school, framing the transition from Renaissance music to Baroque music. -
Mar 8, 1566
Carlo Gesualdo
He was an Italian composer, one of the most significant figures in late Renaissance music with intensely expressive madrigals and pieces of sacred music with a chromatism that will not be heard again until the end of the 19th century. The best known event of his life was the murder of his first wife and lover when he found them "in flagrante delicto". -
May 15, 1567
Claudio Monteverdi
He was an Italian composer, violinist, singer, choir director and priest. He composed both secular and sacred music and marked the transition between the polyphonic and madrigalist tradition of the 16th century and the birth of lyric drama and opera in the 17th century. He is a crucial figure in the transition between Renaissance and Baroque music. -
Period: Dec 2, 1580 to
Baroque
The Baroque is an artistic style that developed between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It emerged in Italy and spread through Europe and Latin America. Baroque architecture was characterized by showing the luxury of the Catholic church and the bourgeois of the Protestant countries. -
Period: to
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation or "Reformation", which began in the 16th century, was a movement of transformation of Christianity from the late Middle Ages to the early 17th century, aimed at returning to the sources and first form of Christianity. It was represented by actors of various kinds: theologians, preachers, kings, princes, bourgeois, peasants, intellectuals. -
Giacomo Carissimi
He was one of the most eminent Italian composers of the early Baroque and one of the principal representatives of the Roman School. -
Barbara Strozzi
She was an Italian singer and composer of the Baroque. During his lifetime, he published eight volumes of his own music and had more immaterial music printed than any other composer of the time. This was achieved without any support from the Catholic Church and without the constant patronage of the nobility. -
Stradivarius
Antonio Stradivari was the most prominent Italian luthier. The Latin form of his surname, Stradivarius, is used to refer to his instruments. -
Henry Purcell
He was an English composer of the Baroque. Considered one of the best English composers of all time, he incorporated French and Italian stylistic elements into his music, generating an English style of baroque music. -
Antonio Vivaldi
He was a Venetian Baroque composer, violinist, businessman, teacher and Catholic priest. He was nicknamed Il prete rosso («The red priest») for being a priest and redhead. -
George Philipp Telemann
He was a German baroque composer, although his work also had characteristics of the early classicism. He is considered the most prolific composer in the history of music. -
Georg Friedrich Händel
He was a German composer, later naturalized English, considered one of the top figures in music history, especially the Baroque, and one of the most influential composers of western and universal music. -
Johann Sebastian Bach
He was a German composer, musician, conductor, choirmaster, singer and teacher of the Baroque period. -
Period: to
Classicism
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Maria Anna Mozart
Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart, also known as Nannerl1 and Marianne, was a famous musician of the eighteenth century. She was the older sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the daughter of Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart. -
Joseph Haydn
He was an Austrian composer. He is one of the greatest representatives of the Classical period, in addition to being known as the "father of the symphony" and the "father of the string quartet" thanks to his important contributions to both genres. He also contributed to the instrumental development of the piano trio and the evolution of the sonata form.2 -
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
He was a German composer, pianist, conductor and teacher,1 of the former Archbishopric of Salzburg . Master of classicism, he is considered one of the most influential and outstanding musicians in history. Mozart's work covers all the musical genres of his time and includes more than six hundred creations, most of them recognized as masterpieces of symphonic, concertante, chamber, fortepiano, operatic and choral music, achieving international popularity and diffusion. -
Maria Theresia von Paradis
She was an Austrian pianist and composer. She caused great interest in renowned composers of his time, including Mozart and Haydn. Currently he is an important reference in the history of classical music for his musical execution and interpretation, sources such as the "Journal de Paris" referred to his playing, interpretation and vivacity as unique. -
Ludwig van Beethoven
was a German composer, conductor, pianist and piano teacher. His musical legacy spans, chronologically, from Classicism to the beginnings of Romanticism. He is considered one of the most important composers in the history of music and his legacy has decisively influenced the subsequent evolution of this art. Being the last great representative of Viennese classicism, Beethoven managed to transcend the music of Romanticism, influencing a diversity of musical works of the 19th century. -
Christoph Willibald Gluck
He was a German composer, from the Bohemian region, Czech Republic. He is considered one of the most important opera composers of Classicism in the second half of the 18th century. He completely reformed the opera by eliminating the da capo arias, suppressing the extensive dry harpsichord recitatives and replacing them with recitatives accompanied by the orchestra, dispensing with the castrati and giving greater relevance to the plot of the works. -
Period: to
Romanticism
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Gioachino Rossini
He was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some pieces of chamber and piano music and some sacred music. He set new standards for both comic and serious opera before retiring from large-scale composition while still in his thirties, at the height of his popularity. -
Franz Peter Schubert
He was an Austrian composer of the early musical Romanticism and, at the same time, a continuation of the classical sonata following the model of Ludwig van Beethoven. Despite his short life, he left a great legacy, including more than six hundred secular vocal works, seven complete symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music, and a large number of works for piano and chamber music. Among his major works are the Quintet The Trout, the Unfinished or Unfinished Symphony. -
Hector Berlioz
Louis Hector Berlioz was a French composer and leading figure of Romanticism. His best-known work is the Symphonie fantastique, premiered in 1830. -
Felix Mendelssohn
He was a German composer, conductor and pianist of Romantic music, and brother of the pianist and composer Fanny Mendelssohn. -
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopina was a Franco-Polish teacher, composer and virtuoso pianist, considered one of the most important in history and one of the greatest representatives of musical romanticism, who wrote mainly for solo piano. He has maintained a worldwide reputation as one of the leading musicians of his time, whose "poetic genius was based on a professional technique unmatched in his generation". -
Robert Schumann
He was a German composer, pianist and music critic of the nineteenth century, considered one of the most important and representative composers of musical Romanticism. -
Richard Wagner
He was a German composer, conductor, poet, essayist, playwright and music theorist of the Romantic period. His operas (described as "musical dramas" by the composer himself) stand out in which, unlike other composers, he also took on the libretto and set design. -
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi
He was an Italian romantic composer of opera, one of the most important of all time. His work serves as a bridge between the bel canto of Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti, and the current of verismo and Puccini -
Clara Schumann
She was a German pianist, composer and piano teacher. She was one of the great European concert artists of the nineteenth century and her career was key in the dissemination of the compositions of her husband, Robert Schumann. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era, she exerted her influence on a 61-year concert career, and changed the format and repertoire of the piano recital from exhibitions from virtuosity to serious works programs. -
Bedřich Smetana
was a composer born in Bohemia, a region that during the musician's lifetime was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He pioneered the development of a musical style that became intimately linked to Czech nationalism. For this reason, he is recognized in his country as the father of Czech music. He is internationally known for his opera The Bartered Bride and for the cycle of symphonic poems Má vlast (My Homeland) that represent the history, legends and landscapes of the composer's homeland. -
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist and conductor of the Romantic period. Born into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. -
Modest Músorgski
He was a Russian composer, a member of the group "The Five". His works include the opera Boris Godunov (1872), the symphonic poem A Night on Bald Mountain (1867) and the piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition (1874). -
Piotr Ilich Chaikovski
He was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He is the author of some of the most famous classical music works in the current repertoire, such as the ballets Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, the 1812 Overture, the overture-fantasy Romeo and Juliet, the First Piano Concerto, the Violin Concerto, his Fourth, Fifth and Sixth symphonies and the operas Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades. -
Antonín Dvořák
was a post-Romantic composer born in Bohemia —territory then belonging to the Austrian Empire—, one of the first Czech composers to achieve worldwide recognition and one of the great composers of the second half of the nineteenth century. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the example of his predecessor, the Romantic-era nationalist Bedřich Smetana. -
Edvard Grieg
He was a Norwegian composer and pianist, considered one of the main representatives of late Romanticism. He adapted many themes and songs from the folklore of his country, thus contributing to the creation of a Norwegian national identity, just as Jean Sibelius did in Finland or Antonín Dvořák in Bohemia. -
Nikolái Rimski-Kórsakov
He was a Russian composer, conductor and pedagogue member of the group of composers known as The Five.c Considered a master of orchestration, his best-known orchestral works—the Spanish Caprice, the Overture to the Great Russian Easter, and the symphonic suite Scheherazade—are valued among the principal of the classical music repertoire, as well as the suites and fragments of some of his fifteen operas. Scheherazade is an example of his frequent use of fairy tales and folk themes. -
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini better known simply as Giacomo Puccini, was an Italian opera composer, considered among the greatest, of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.2 -
Hugo Filipp Jakob Wolf
Hugo Filipp Jakob Wolf (13 March 1860 – 22 February 1903) was an Austrian composer of Slovenian origin, who lived during the final years of the nineteenth century in Vienna. -
Gustav Mahler
He was an Austro-Bohemian composer and conductor whose works are considered, along with those of Richard Strauss, the most important of post-Romanticism. -
Jean Sibelius
He was a Finnish composer and violinist of the late Romantic and early Art Nouveau periods. He is widely recognized as his country's greatest composer, and through his music, he is often credited with helping Finland develop a national identity during its struggle for independence from Russia. -
Listz
Alfred Denis Cortot was a French-Swiss pianist and conductor. He is considered one of the most popular musicians of the first half of the 20th century and one of the best pedagogues, renowned for his poetic understanding of the piano works of Romanticism, particularly those of Chopin and Schumann. His contributions to the dissemination of knowledge of authors such as Claude Debussy and Isaac Albéniz are also notable. -
Heitor Villa-Lobos
He was a Brazilian conductor and composer. His music was influenced by both Brazilian folk music and European classical music. -
George Gershwin
He was an American musician, composer, and pianist. He is popularly recognized for having managed to make a perfect amalgam between classical music and jazz, which is evident in his prodigious works.