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a simpler rhythmic structure -
During the early Medieval period, monophonic chant, particularly Gregorian chant, was the dominant form of sacred music in Western Europe.
Polyphony, the use of multiple independent melodic lines, began to develop in the high medieval era and became more common by the 13th and 14th centuries. -
Music in 1000 AD was primarily monophonic, consisting of unaccompanied single-line religious melodies, used to standardize worship across the large church and aristocracy, laying the groundwork for future musical complexity. -
Renaissance music in 1500 was characterized by increasing complexity and expression, a focus on polyphony (multiple independent melodies), and the rise of secular forms like the madrigal alongside traditional sacred music. -
Baroque music, spanning roughly from 1600 to 1750, is a significant period in Western classical music characterized by grand, dramatic, and energetic styles, marked by features like contrast (loud and soft, solo and ensemble), polyphonic textures with interwoven melodies, and the use of basso continuo. -
Romantic music emerged in the late 1700s and flourished through the 19th century as a reaction against the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason, favoring instead emotional depth, individual expression, and a more expansive and passionate musical language. -
20th-century classical music is Western art music that was written between 1901 and 2000, inclusive. Musical style diverged during the 20th century as it never had previously, so this century was without a dominant style -
Virtually all of the popular music heard today is written with homophonic, or similar-sounding texture. In homophonic texture, there is a single melody accompanied by chords, bass, and percussion, which harmonically and structurally support the melody. One way to create homophonic texture is to use chordal harmony.