Musical periods

Below is a checklist of key points you should know about the main periods in western music history.

The Renaissance: 1420-1600

• Renaissance means re-birth and describes the enormous cultural awakening that blossomed within the arts, sciences and letters throughout Europe at this time.
• New instruments were invented such as the viola and the violin.
• Some important composers of the time were: Giovani da Palestrina, Andrea Gabrielli, Josquin Desperez and Johannes Ockeghem

The Baroque era: 1600-1750

• This period is named after the ornate architecture that was popular at that time.
• Composers experimented with the ability of music to express human emotion and depict natural phenomenon. Vivaldi's Four Seasons is a prime example of this.
• The string and woodwind sections of the orchestra were established, and a keyboard continuo part (usually played on a harpsichord) was added.
• The oboe was introduced and the viol [Viol: A stringed instrument used primarily in the Baroque period. ] was completely replaced by the violin.
• A new musical genre was created called Opera: composers were seeking to re-create the drama of the ancient Greeks by fusing poetry, theatre, visual arts and music. The first big opera, Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi, was performed in 1607.
• Some important composers of the period were: Claudio Monteverdi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi and George Friedrich Handel.

The Classical era: 1750-1820

• The Classical era was so named because artists, musicians and writers looked towards the clean, uncluttered elegance of the art and philosophy of classical Greece.
• Harmony was simpler than in the Baroque era. Alberti bass parts were sometimes used (simple broken chords). Melodies were simple and uncomplicated.
• Some important composers of the time were: Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig Van Beethoven and Christoph Von Gluck.

The Romantic era: 1810-1900

• The Romantics were probably the first artists in history to apply a generic name to themselves. The name harks back to the mediaeval romance: poems of chivalry, unattainable love, and distant, enchanted places.
• The percussion section was expanded to include cymbals and side drum
• The brass family developed at this time. Trumpets and horns now had valves and keys, so they could produce more notes, and trombones, previously only used in church music and operas, were added to the orchestra.
• Nationalism was a major cultural force, and many composers (especially in Russia and eastern Europe) sought to create a national music by importing folk music, dance, poetry and prose into their works.
• Some important composers of the time were: Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Giuesseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner.

Modern: 1910 onwards

• Advances in music technology became increasingly important, with new methods of recording, electronic instruments, and the use of computers having a major influence on modern music.
• New genres emerged alongside the classical forms of 20th-Century art music: blues, jazz, rock 'n roll, and electronic music.
• Some important composers of the period were: Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, Dmitri Shostakovich, Gustav Mahler, John Cage and Phillip Glass.
• The percussion section was expanded even further to include xylophone, marimba, and various other percussion.