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Oct 31, 1517
Beginning of the Protestant Reformation
The iconic beginning of the Protestant Reformation, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of All Saints' Church Wittenburg, Saxony. This act of separation had a profound and lasting effect on the political and artistic history of Europe and, by extension, the world. The distinction between Catholic and Protestant musical styles was an important one in the Renaissance, and continued to be so during the Baroque period. -
Jan 1, 1534
Formation of the Church of England
The church in England separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534 when King Henry VIII and Pope Clement VII had a disagreement about the king's right to divorce. Henry settled the disagreement by severing England's relationship with the Vatican, dissolving the Catholic monasteries, and declaring himself the Supreme Head of his new Church of England. He was subsequently excommunicated from the Catholic Church. -
Period: Jan 1, 1545 to Jan 1, 1536
Council of Trent
This was the most important of the ecumenical councils held by the Roman Catholic Church with the purpose of discussing what should be done with regard to the Protestant Reformation. Many official church policies were updated, including its attitude toward music in the church: especially concerning congregational hymn singing and the floridity of polyphonic compositional styles. -
Period: Oct 8, 1551 to
Giulio Caccini
Composer of monodic songs, most notably in his 1601 publication Le Nuove Musiche. Also an attendee of the Florentine Camerata and collaborator on the Intermedii et Concerti of 1589. -
Period: Jan 20, 1562 to
Ottavio Rinuccini
Attendee of the Florentine Camerata and librettist for Monteverdi's L'Orfeo. Also collaborated with Giovanni de' Bardi on the 1589 Intermedii et Concerti. -
Period: Mar 8, 1566 to
Carlo Gesualdo
Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza. Notable for his wife's murder and the outlandish chromaticism in his madrigals. -
Period: May 15, 1567 to
Claudio Monteverdi
Composer at the court composer to the Gonzagas in Mantua. Participant in the Second Florentine Camerata, and composer of "L'Orfeo", one of the first operas. Notable for his rejection of many of the ideals of renaissance music theory as delineated by Zarlino, in favor of the new aesthetic which strongly favored the importance of the text over the music. -
Aug 1, 1569
Foundation of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The establishment of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany began with the rule of Cosimo de' Medici. The capital of the duchy was Florence, and the patronage of the arts by the Medici family was integral to the cultural, intellectual, and political culture in the Italian renaissance. The Medici family retained the ducal title until 1737. -
Period: Jan 1, 1573 to
Florentine Camerata
A group hosted and led by Count Giovanni de' Bardi at his home in Florence, with the purpose of discussing and exploring current trends in the arts. Heavily influenced by humanism and the revival of classical philosophy, the Camerata greatly impacted the musical trends which followed from it: most notably the rejection of the ideals of renaissance polyphony which sought to fit the words with the music and not vice versa. Notable attendees: Giulio Caccini, Ottavio Rinuccini, and Vincenzo Galilei. -
Period: Jan 1, 1580 to
Concerto Delle Donne
A trio of professional female singers in the employ of the court of Ferrara; became a model for courtly music all over Italy and Northern Europe. Notable for their groundbreaking role as professional female musicians, and also the music written for them by Luzzasco Luzzaschi. -
Period: to
Girolamo Frescobaldi
Italian composer and keyboardist. Incorporated the ideals and aesthetics of the seconda prattica into his instrumental compositions, while simultaneously developing new instrumental forms such as the ricercar and toccata. -
Performance of "Intermedii et Concerti"
The musical interludes between the acts of the play "La Pellegrina," performed at the wedding of Ferdinando de’ Medici and Christine of Lorraine, in Florence. -
Publication of "L'Artusi overo Delle imperfettione della moderna musica"
A treatise by Giovanni Maria Artusi, in which he harshly criticizes the compositional practices of Claudio Monteverdi.Artusi cites musical examples from Monteverdi's madrigals (often out of context) to further his argument that Monteverdi takes too many liberties with the rules of counterpoint. -
Publication of Caccini's "Le Nuove Musiche"
Collection of songs by Giulio Caccini, notable for their new monodic texture with basso continuo, and also the volume's preface which includes information about how to perform the songs expressively with good ornamentation. -
Period: to
Francesco Cavalli
Italian composer of operas; the spiritual successor to Monteverdi, though Cavalli probably never actually studied with him. Important works include the operas "Giasone" and "Calisto." Cavalli was also a teacher to Barbara Strozzi. -
Premier Performance of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo
Took place at the ducal palace of the Gonzagas in Mantua. -
Period: to
Thirty Years' War
The bloodiest of the European wars of religion, fought between Roman Catholic and Protestant political entities, mostly in the German states. Among the many results of this war was the solidification of the power of Protestant principalities in German lands and the beginning of the decline of the Holy Roman Empire. -
Period: to
Barbara Strozzi
A Venetian composer of mid-century cantatas notable for their highly structured forms and virtuosic writing for the solo female voice. Barbara was the adopted daughter of Giulio Strozzi, the founder of the Accademia degli Unisoni, for which she composed many of her works. She was a student of Francesco Cavalli. -
Period: to
Jean-Baptiste Lully
First important French composer of opera and ballet (and its French analogues). Originally from Florence, but relocated to France at a young age. Spent his career in service to King Louis XIV. -
Publication of Monteverdi's 8th Book of Madrigals
Contains madrigals in Monteverdi's new concertato style. The first half is comprised of madrigals with a warlike affect (making use of the newly innovated Pyrrhic foot rhythm), and the second half is of madrigals with themes related to love. Highlights of this book are the preface, in which Monteverdi discusses ideals Platonic ideals of musical affect, and the Lamento della Ninfa. -
Period: to
King Louis XIV of France
King of France, credited with vastly strengthening the power of the monarchy in France, and also France's regional and global political influence in the mid-17th-century. He was greatly concerned with maintaining his powerful image and the admiration of his subjects, and the envy of other nations. He was the principal patron of Jean-Baptiste Lully, who wrote copious amounts of court music for him, including many of the first French operas and ballets. Louis himself was an accomplished danseur. -
Possible Earliest Performance of Cavalli's "Giasone"
A possible first performance for this opera is 1649 in Milan, but may also be in Lucca in 1650. A popular opera, it was also later performed in Rome in 1671 at the Teatro Tordinona (Rome's first public theatre) and in Naples in 1672. "Giasone" was also requested to be performed in Paris at the French court in 1660, but Cavalli's opera "Xerse" was performed there instead in 1662. -
Period: to
English Protectorate (Interregnum)
The period of rule by the Puritan government established by Oliver Cromwell. It began with the execution of King Charles I (1649) and ended with the return of Charles II to the throne (1660). This period had a profound effect on the arts in the British Isles, as music, dance, and theatre were actively halted in service of the agenda of the Puritan government. -
Period: to
Henry Purcell
English composer and organist. Notable for his operas which incorporate elements of Restoration English drama, French ballet de cour, and Italian opera. "Dido and Aeneas" is perhaps his most recognizable work. -
Period: to
Alessandro Scarlatti
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Possible First Performance of Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas"
While definite the date of the first performance of this work is unknown, we have grounds to suppose that it was in 1689 at a boarding school for girls in Chelsea, England. -
Founding of the Arcadian Academy
An musical and poetic society founded in Rome with the goal of refining Italian poetry and music, as in opera. Notable members include: Bernardo Pasquini, Alessandro Scarlatti, Arcangelo Corelli, and briefly, a young George Frideric Handel. -
Publication of Johann Mattheson's "Der Vollkommene Kapellmeister"
A treatise written after the Baroque period had already run its course, about the Baroque ideals of affect and musical rhetoric. It also contains useful information about how to set the text of an aria.
