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Period: 1340 BCE to 1230 BCE
Ars Antiqua.
During the Ars Antiqua (12th and 13th centuries), the organum emerged as the first polyphonic form, developed by composers like Leonin and Perotin from the Notre Dame school. Other forms included the conductus, featuring newly created melodies and texts, and the motet, a composition with two or three voices singing different texts and rhythms. -
Period: 680 to 730
Gregorian chant
The Gregorian chant serves the purpose of conveying the word of God with a focus on the text over music. It is monodic, in Latin, religious, and performed a cappella. Two types based on music-text relationship are syllabic (one note per syllable) and melismatic (elaborate singing with multiple notes on a single syllable). -
1098
Hildegard von Bingen.
She was a versatile abbess, physicist, philosopher, naturalist, composer, poet, and linguist of the medieval era. Although her work wouldn't be considered science in the modern world, she shone brightly during the medieval period. -
1147
Bernart de Ventadorn
Occitan troubadour, prominent figure in Provencal poetry, and a leading representative of trobar leu. Despite being one of the most popular authors of his time, his work was not truly appreciated until it was rediscovered during the Romantic era. The uniqueness of his nearly fifty songs with certain attribution lies in his treatment of love themes, characterized by a simple, nostalgic expression filled with sweetness and gentleness. -
1150
Léonin
Composer, poet, and French professor, there is very little information available about him. From the year 1150 to 1160, he served as the administrator of the cathedral in Paris. In 1192, he was ordained as a priest at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He is credited with the creation of the Magnus liber organi, the great book of the organ, used at Notre Dame around 1100. -
1160
Perotín
Born in Paris between 1155 and 1160, this medieval French composer, a key figure in the Notre Dame School, played a crucial role in the development of polyphonic style. He revised the Grand livre d'organum around 1180-1190 and created compositions for three and four voices in the early 13th century. Despite limited knowledge about his life, insights come from the theoretical writings of Johannes de Garlandia and Anonymous IV in the second half of the 13th century. -
1221
Alfonso X el Sabio.
It marks a milestone in the history of Spanish Medieval music. Its greatest legacy, the Cantigas de Santa María, is a faithful testimony to the music performed in the 13th century. While these are religious songs, they include significant influences from secular troubadour music that was prevalent in the courts of Toledo and Seville. -
Period: 1320 to 1380
Ars Nova
(from Latin 'arte nuevo') is an expression coined by the theorist Philippe de Vitry, designating the musical production, both French and Italian, after the latest works of ars antiqua until the predominance of the Burgundian school, which will take the leading position in the Western musical landscape in the 15th century. -
1325
Francesco Landini.
He was an Italian composer, organist, singer, poet, instrument maker, and astrologer. He was one of the most famous and revered composers in the second half of the 14th century and undoubtedly the most famous composer in Italy. Landini was the most important musician of Italian trecento, also known as Italian ars nova. Although existing documents indicate he composed religious works, only secular compositions have survived. -
1450
Johannes Gutenberg
The invention of the metal movable-type printing press, attributed to the German Johannes Gutenberg, has been regarded as such a momentous event that it has been referred to as the "Gutenberg era," beginning in the mid-15th century, coinciding with the first Bibles printed from his press. -
1469
Juan del Encina.
(Juan de Fermoselle Encina; Encinas, Spain, 1469 - León, id., 1529) Spanish poet, musician, and playwright. The son of a minstrel, he joined the choir of the cathedral of Salamanca and later entered the service of the brother of the Duke of Alba, who funded his bachelor's studies in law at the University of Salamanca, where he likely had Antonio de Nebrija as a teacher. -
1530
Maddalena Casulana
(c.1544 –1590) was an Italian composer, lute player, and singer of the late Renaissance. She was the first female composer to have an entire volume exclusively dedicated to her music printed and published in the history of Western music. -
1534
Orlando di Lasso
Known by various names such as Orlandus Lassus, Roland de Lassus, Roland Delattre, or Orlande de Lassus (Mons, 1532 - Munich, June 14, 1594), he was a late Renaissance Franco-Flemish composer. Alongside Palestrina and Victoria, he is considered one of the most influential composers of the 16th century. -
1546
Martín Lutero
(Martin Luther, Eisleben, Thuringia, 1483 - 1546) German theologian. Martin Luther's sharp criticisms of the moral dissipation of the Roman Church, initially focused on the sale of indulgences, led to his swift excommunication in 1520. However, they also established him as the prominent figure of the Reformation, a religious movement rejecting the authority of the Papacy and aiming for a return to primitive spirituality. -
1548
Tomás Luis de Victoria.
Born around 1548 in Ávila, he became the greatest Spanish polyphonist and one of Europe's finest during his era. The seventh child of Francisca Suárez de la Concha and Francisco Luis de Victoria, he lost his father at age 9. Joining Ávila Cathedral as a choirboy a year later, he remained until eighteen, studying plainchant, counterpoint, and composition, guided by masters like Jerónimo de Espinar. There's a possibility he encountered Antonio de Cabezón, as some specialists suggest. -
1553
Cristóbal de Morales.
(Seville, 1500 - Málaga or Marchena, 1553) Spanish Catholic priest and chapel master, a leading figure in the Andalusian polyphonic school alongside Tomás Luis de Victoria and Francisco Guerrero. Known for predominantly vocal and sacred music, he is considered the finest Spanish composer of the early 16th century. His fame, spreading rapidly across Europe, endured for centuries. -
1566
Antonio de Cabezón.
(Castrillo Mota de Judíos, Burgos, 1510 - Madrid, March 26, 1566) was a Spanish Renaissance organist, harpist, and composer.
Professional categories:Organists, Composers,
Field of activity:Religious hymns, Tientos, Fugues
Associated organization or group: Royal Chapel -
1567
Claudio Monteverdi
The Italian composer who best exemplifies the transition in the realm of music from the Renaissance aesthetic to the new expressive Baroque era is Claudio Monteverdi from Cremona. Educated in the polyphonic tradition of Tomás Luis de Victoria, Orlando di Lasso, and Palestrina, Monteverdi brought to life the new and revolutionary concept of musical art emerging from the theories of the Camerata Fiorentina. This, among other things, marked the birth of opera. -
Andrea Gabrieli
(Ca. 1533 - August 30, 1585) was an Italian composer and organist of the late Renaissance. Uncle to the perhaps more famous composer Giovanni Gabrieli, he was the first internationally renowned member of the Venetian School of composers. He had a significant impact on spreading the Venetian style both in Italy and Germany. -
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
Palestrina, born in 1525 in Palestrina, Italy, and died in 1594 in Rome, is credited with saving polyphonic music, and music in general, from the threat of prohibition by ecclesiastical authorities during the Counter-Reformation. The legend, with uncertain attribution, suggests that his composition, the "Missa Papae Marcelli," restored purity and meaning to music, countering the trend of overly complex contrapuntal structures that neglected the understanding of sung texts in sacred compositions. -
Giacomo Carissimi
The Italian composer, known for his original and innovative style in oratorios, cantatas, and other religious pieces, departed from the established tradition of sacred polyphony set by Palestrina. He began his musical career as a singer and organist. -
Giovanni Gabrieli
(around 1557 – October 13, 1612) was an Italian composer and organist, born and died in Venice. One of the most influential musicians of his time, he represents the culmination of the Venetian school, bridging the transition from Renaissance music to the Baroque era. -
Carlo Gesualdo
(Naples, c. 1560 - d., 1613) Italian composer and lutenist. The sparsely documented life of Carlo Gesualdo has ventured into the realms of legend, to the extent of becoming the inspiration for contemporary opera composers like Franz Hummel and Alfred Schnittke. The murder of his wife and her lover in 1590, whom he caught red-handed, has bestowed upon him an aura of a shadowy figure, which his dissonant, expressive, and unusually modern music has only intensified. -
Barbara Strozzi
Also known as Barbara Valle, (Venice, August 6, 1619 - Padua, November 11, 1677) was an Italian singer and composer of the Baroque era. Throughout her life, she published eight volumes of her own music and had more secular music in print than any other composer of the time. This achievement was realized without any support from the Catholic Church and without constant sponsorship from the nobility. -
Henry Purcell
English composer. He joined the Chapel Royal choir at the age of eight, studying under John Blow and Matthew Locke. In 1677, he was appointed composer for the king's violins, and in 1679, he succeeded Blow as the organist at Westminster Abbey. Responsible for restoring the court's instruments, he composed numerous religious works, including notable anthems and services like "I was glad, in the midst of life" (1682), "Morning and evening service" (1682-1683), and "Te Deum and jubilate" (1694). -
Stradivarius
Antonio Stradivari, a famous instrument maker, crafted the renowned Stradivarius violins. The mystery behind their exceptional sound involves conflicting theories, with craftsmanship, material selection, and unknown factors playing roles. Stradivari's skill and a touch of luck contribute to the instruments' exceptional reputation. -
Antonio Vivaldi
(Venice, 1678 - Vienna, 1741) Italian composer and violinist whose extensive body of concertos exerted a decisive influence on the historical evolution leading to the consolidation of the symphony. Igor Stravinsky once remarked that Vivaldi had not written 500 concertos but rather 'the same concerto 500 times.' This holds true regarding the original and unmistakable tone that the Venetian composer infused into his music, making it quickly recognizable. -
Georg Philipp Telemann
The German composer abandoned law studies in Leipzig in 1701 to focus on music. Commissioned to compose monthly cantatas for St. Thomas Church, he later founded the Collegium musicum and became director of the Leipzig Opera. Holding roles such as chapel master in St. Catherine and director of municipal music in Frankfurt, he also served as chapel master in Eisenach (1717) and Bayreuth (1723). From 1722, he led the Hamburg Opera, traveled extensively in Germany, and was warmly received in Paris. -
Guido d'Arezzo
He was a Benedictine monk who has gone down in history as one of the most important reformers of the musical notation system. Guido is credited with the formula that enables the precise intonation memorization of the notes in the major hexachord, whose nomenclature (ut or do, re, mi, fa, sol, la) he derived from the initial syllables of each half-verse of the hymn of St. John, "Ut queant laxis." -
Johann Sebastian Bach
He was a German composer, musician, orchestra conductor, chapel master, singer, and teacher from the Baroque period. He was the most significant member of one of the most prominent musical families in history, with over 35 famous composers: the Bach family. -
Georg Friedrich Händel
A German-born composer naturalized as English, Handel was a strict contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach, though hardly two composers could be more opposite in style and aspirations. Handel not only represents one of the peaks of the Baroque era but also of music throughout history. A prolific musician, his extensive body of work spans all genres of his time, with a particular fondness for opera and oratorio, to which he significantly contributed, bringing them to a period of great splendor. -
Gluck
Christoph Willibald Gluck, German composer, from the Bohemian region, Czech Republic. c
considered one of the most important opera composers of Classicism in the second half of the 18th century. -
W.A. Mozart
Better known as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, he was a composer, pianist, conductor and teacher of the former Archbishopric of Salzburg, master of Classicism, considered one of the most influential and outstanding musicians in history. -
J. Haydn
Known as Joseph Haydn, was an Austrian composer. He is one of the highest representatives of the Classic 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. -
Maria Theresia Von Paradis
Maria Theresia von Paradis was an Austrian pianist and composer. Despite the fact that from the age of three he completely lost his sight, this was not an impediment for the production and work of this great pianist, singer and songwriter to stand out. -
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer, conductor, pianist and piano teacher. His musical legacy spans, chronologically, from Classicism to the beginning of Romanticism. -
Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer of the principles of musical Romanticism but, at the same time, a continuation of the classical sonata following the model of Ludwig van Beethoven. -
Nannerl Mozart
Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart, also called Nannerl and Marianne, was a famous 18th-century music. She was the older sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the daughter of Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart. -
Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn, whose full name was Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, was a German composer, conductor and pianist of romantic music, and brother of the also pianist and composer Fanny Mendelssohn. -
Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a teacher, composer and virtuoso Franco-Polish pianist, considered one of the most important in history and one of the greatest representatives of musical Romanticism. -
Schumann
German composer, pianist and music critic of the 19th century, considered one of the most important and representative composers of musical Romanticism. Schumann left his law studies, with the intention of pursuing a career as a virtuoso pianist. -
Rossini
Gioachino Rossini 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. -
Berlioz
Louis Hector Berlioz was a French composer and a prominent figure of Romanticism. His best-known work is the Fantastic Symphony, premiered in 1830. -
Musorgski
Was a Russian composer, a member of the "The Five" group. Among his works are the operas Borís Godunov and Jovánschina, the symphonic poem Una noche en el Monte Pelado and the piano suite Paintings from an exhibition. Musorgsky was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period. -
Wagner
Was a German composer, conductor, poet, essayist, playwright and music theorist of Romanticism. Mainly his operas stand out in which, unlike other composers, he also assumed the libretto and scenography. -
Smetana
Composer born in Bohemia, a region that in the musician's lifetime was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was a pioneer in the development of a musical style that was intimately linked to Czech nationalism. For this reason, he is recognized in his country as the father of Czech music. -
Listz
Romantic Austro-Hungarian composer, a virtuoso pianist, conductor, piano teacher, arranger and Franciscan secular. His Hungarian name was Liszt Ferencz, according to the modern use Liszt Ferenc, and from 1859 to 1865 he was officially known as Franz Ritter von Liszt. -
Chaikovski
Was a Russian composer from the Romantic period. He is the author of some of the most famous classical music works in the current repertoire, such as ballets -
Clara Schumann
Known as Clara Schumann, she was a German pianist, composer and piano teacher. She was one of the great European concert performers of the 19th century and her career was key in the dissemination of the compositions of her husband, Robert Schumann. -
Brahms
German composer, pianist and conductor of Romanticism, considered the most classic of the composers of that period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. -
Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian romantic opera composer, one of the most important of all time. His work serves as a bridge between the beautiful singing of Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti, and the current of Verismo and Puccini. -
Hugo Wolf
Hugo Filipp Jakob Wolf was an Austrian composer of Slovenian origin, who lived during the final years of the 19th century in Vienna. Enthusiastic follower of Richard Wagner, he mingled in the existing disputes in Vienna, at that time, between Wagnerians and formalists or Brahmsians. -
Dvorak
Was a post-Romantic composer from Bohemia - a territory then belonging to the Austrian Empire - one of the first Czech composers to achieve world recognition and one of the great composers of the second half of the 19th century. -
Grieg
Edvard Hagerup Grieg, commonly referred to as Edvard Grieg, was a Norwegian composer and pianist, considered one of the main representatives of late Romanticism. -
Rimski Korsakov
Nikolai Andreievich Rimsky-Kórsakov was a Russian composer, conductor and pedagogue who was a member of the group of composers known as The Five. -
Gustav Mahler
Austro-Bohemian composer and conductor whose works are considered, along with those of Richard Strauss, the most important of post-Romanticism. In the first decade of the twentieth century, Gustav Mahler was one of the most important orchestra and opera conductors of his time. -
Debussy
Was a French composer, one of the most influential of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Some authors consider him the first Impressionist composer, although he categorically rejected the term. -
Puccini
Known simply as Giacomo Puccini, he was an Italian opera composer, considered among the greatest, of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was a visionary, creator of the concepts of music that would govern cinema during the twentieth century. -
Gershwin
George Gershwin 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. -
Ravel
French composer of the twentieth century. His work, often linked to Impressionism, also shows a bold neoclassical style and, sometimes, features of Expressionism, and is the result of a complex heritage and musical findings that revolutionized music for piano and orchestra. -
Bartok
Known as Béla Bartók, he was a Hungarian musician who stood out as a composer, pianist and researcher of folk music from Eastern Europe. He is considered one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century. -
Manuel de Falla
Manuel de Falla y Matheu was a Spanish composer of musical nationalism, one of the most important of the first half of the twentieth century, along with Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados, Joaquín Turina and Joaquín Rodrigo, and one of the most important Spanish composers of all time. -
Joaquín Turina
Spanish composer and musicologist representing nationalism in the first half of the twentieth century. Manuel de Falla, Isaac Albéniz and he composed the most important works of Impressionism in Spain. His most important works are Danzas fantásticas and La procesión del Rocío. -
Schönberg
Arnold Schönberg was an Austrian composer, music theorist and painter of Jewish origin. Since he emigrated to the United States in 1934, he adopted the name of Arnold Schoenberg, and this is how he usually appears in English-language publications and around the world. -
Sibelius
Jean Sibelius, registered at birth as Johan Julius Christian Sibelius, was a Finnish composer and violinist of the late Romanticism and early Modernism. -
Heitor Villa-Lobos
He was a Brazilian conductor and composer. His music was influenced by both Brazilian folk music and European classical music. He received some musical instruction from his father. -
Kódaly
Zoltán Kodály was a prominent Hungarian musician whose musical style first went through a post-Romantic-viense phase and who later evolved towards its main characteristic: the mixture of folklore and complex harmonies of the twentieth century, shared with Béla Bartók. -
Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian composer and conductor and one of the most important and transcendental musicians of the twentieth century. His long life allowed him to get to know a wide variety of musical currents. -
Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist, pedagogue and ornithologist, one of the most prominent musicians of the entire century. -
John Cage
Artistically, John Cage, was an American composer, music theorist, artist and philosopher. A pioneer of random music, electronic music and the non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the main figures of the post-war avant-garde. -
Pierre Schaeffer
He is considered the creator of the specific music. He is the author of the book entitled Treatise of Musical Objects, where he exposes all his theory about this type of music. He composed different works, all of them based on the technique of specific music. -
Pierre Henry
Pierre Henry was a French musician, considered the creator, along with Pierre Schaeffer, of so-called concrete music and one of the godfathers of electroacoustic music. -
Philipp Glass
Philip Glass is an American minimalist classical music composer. He studied at the Juilliard School in New York. His international recognition increased since the appearance of his opera Einstein on the Beach.