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The Epitaph of Seikilos is the oldest known complete musical composition with both lyrics and musical notation. It was discovered engraved on a funerary stele in ancient Greece. The melody is simple, following the Greek musical system, and the lyrics reflect a philosophical message about enjoying life despite its brevity.
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Gregorian Chant is a form of monophonic sacred music used in the medieval Christian Church. Sung in Latin by monks, it features free rhythm, stepwise melodies, and no instrumental accompaniment. It served liturgical purposes and laid the foundation for Western musical notation and modal theory.
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Guido d’Arezzo was a revolutionary music theorist and teacher. He developed the four-line staff and improved notation to help singers learn music more accurately. He also introduced solmization. His teaching method, including the Guidonian Hand, transformed medieval music education.
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Hildegard von Bingen was a German abbess, mystic, writer, and composer. Her music is unique for its wide melodic leaps, vivid imagery, and expressive quality. She composed large collections of sacred songs and a musical drama, reflecting her theological visions and creativity.
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Bernart de Ventadorn was one of the most celebrated troubadours of Occitania. He wrote lyrical poems and melodies focused on courtly love, exploring themes of desire, longing, and noble devotion. His style influenced later troubadours and even French trouvères, shaping medieval secular music.
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Leonin was one of the pioneering composers of the Notre Dame School in Paris. He is credited with creating organum duplum, early polyphony where a plainchant melody is stretched out in long notes while a faster-moving voice decorates above. He compiled the Magnus Liber Organi, a key collection of polyphonic music.
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Ars Antiqua refers to the earlier phase of medieval polyphony centered in Paris. It is characterized by the use of rhythmic modes, simple harmonic structures, and reliance on chant as the foundation for polyphonic works. The Notre Dame composers (Leonin and Perotin) are its main representatives.
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Perotin, also from the Notre Dame School, expanded Leonin’s techniques by adding three or four voices, creating more complex and rhythmically organized polyphony. He used the newly developed rhythmic modes and composed influential works. His contributions pushed medieval music toward greater structural clarity.
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Alfonso X played a major role in the cultural development of medieval Spain. Under his patronage, the Cantigas de Santa María were created. They combine religious storytelling with elements of popular music, showing Christian, Muslim, and Jewish cultural influences.
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Ars Nova introduced major innovations in musical notation and rhythm. Composers could write more complex, subdivided rhythms, syncopations, and independent vocal lines. The Ars Nova treatise (attributed to Philippe de Vitry) formalized these changes.
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Machaut was the leading composer and poet of the French Ars Nova. He wrote both sacred and secular polyphony and is famous for the Messe de Nostre Dame, one of the earliest complete settings of the Mass by a single composer. His secular songs blend refined poetry with intricate musical lines.
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Landini was the most important composer of the Italian Trecento. Blind from childhood, he produced elegant secular songs known for their smooth, lyrical melodies and characteristic “Landini cadence.” His music represents the Italian counterpart to the French Ars Nova, focusing more on melody and sweetness.
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German inventor of the movable-type printing press. His innovation revolutionized the spread of music, allowing musical books, treatises, and scores to be printed more widely and cheaply.
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Spanish poet, playwright, and composer. Considered one of the fathers of Spanish theatre and a central figure of the villancico tradition.
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Leader of the Protestant Reformation. He promoted congregational singing and created the chorale, which became the foundation of German Protestant music.
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One of the first Spanish composers of international fame. He served in the Papal Chapel and wrote refined polyphonic Masses and motets that were widely copied.
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One of the first Spanish composers of international fame. He served in the Papal Chapel and wrote refined polyphonic Masses and motets that were widely copied.
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Spanish Renaissance composer and organist. Blind from childhood, he became one of Europe’s greatest keyboard composers, known for variations, tientos, and richly ornamented polyphony.
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Italian composer and the master of “pure” Renaissance polyphony. His smooth, clear, balanced style became the model of Counter-Reformation sacred music.
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Flemish composer famous for his international style. He wrote in many languages and genres (motets, madrigals, chansons) and was admired for expressive text-painting.
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Venetian composer who developed the grand polychoral style of St. Mark’s Basilica. Known for antiphonal choirs and rich instrumental textures.
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Italian composer and singer. The first woman in history to have her music printed and published. Wrote expressive madrigals with bold harmonic choices.
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Spain’s greatest Renaissance sacred composer. His music is intense, mystical, and more emotional than Palestrina’s, focusing on liturgical works such as Masses and motets.
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Nephew of Andrea. Master of Venetian polychoral music. Expanded the use of instruments, dynamics, spatial effects, and early orchestration techniques.
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Italian prince and composer known for his shockingly chromatic and emotionally extreme madrigals. Considered one of the most innovative (and dramatic) figures of the late Renaissance.
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Italian composer who bridged the Renaissance and the Baroque. A pioneer of opera; L’Orfeo and L’incoronazione di Poppea are cornerstones of early opera.
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Italian Baroque composer best known for his oratorios and his influence on late-Baroque vocal style. His most famous work is Jephte.
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Venetian singer and composer, one of the most prolific women composers of the Baroque. Renowned for her expressive and harmonically daring vocal music.
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Italian luthier, not a composer. Builder of the legendary Stradivarius violins, considered among the finest string instruments ever crafted.
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(You listed “Purcel”; the correct spelling is Purcell.)
English Baroque composer influential in sacred, chamber, and theatrical music. His best-known work is the opera Dido and Aeneas. -
Venetian composer and priest. Master of the Baroque concerto, especially for violin. His most famous work is The Four Seasons.
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German composer and one of the most prolific in history. Wrote in all Baroque genres and was admired for his melodic invention and stylistic versatility.
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One of the greatest composers of all time. German master of counterpoint and sacred music. Famous works include The Well-Tempered Clavier, the Mass in B minor, and the Cello Suites.
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Born the same year as Bach. German-born, later British composer celebrated for his operas, oratorios, and ceremonial music. His best-known work is Messiah, especially the “Hallelujah” chorus.