Middle Ages and The Renaissance (476- 1430 - 1600)

Middle Ages

Period: 476 to 1430

This was the start of the Middle Ages, also known as the Medieval Period

Aniclus Manlius Severinus Boethius is born

480

Roman writer and statesman, music theorist, wrote "De institutione musica"

Aniclus Manlius Severinus Boethius dies

524

Gunpowder invented

904

Chinese monks invent gunpowder

Guido of Arezzo is born

991

music theorist, created precise pitch notation via staff, advocated sight singing through syllables, wrote "Micrologus"

Bagpipes invented

1000

suggested that the bagpipes were introduced to Scotland by the Romans

"Micrologus" is written by Guido of Arezzo

1030

the earliest writings on musical composition of polyphony

Guido of Arezzo dies

1033

Hildegard von Bingen is born

1098

77 melodies, first morality play, books, poetry, paintings, known as the Sybil of the Rhine, writer, composer, theologian

Bernart de Ventadorn is born

1130

44 songs (18 complete with melodies), troubadour, more of his music survives than any other 12th century poet

Leonin is born

1135

also known as Magister Leonius II, "Magnus Liber", collection of organum, Master of organum purum at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris

Blondel de Nesle is born

1155

24 courtly songs, one of the most important early trouveres, works show up in lots of manuscripts

Walther von der Vogelweide is born

1170

poet and Minnesinger, worked at Viennese court, earliest surviving minnesinger melody

Hildegard von Bingen dies

1179

Bernart de Ventadorn dies

1190

Blondel de Nesle dies

1200

Leonin dies

1201

Comtessa Beatriz de Dia dies

1212

1 tenso, 4 cansos, famous female troubadour, left us the only surviving melody by a female troubadour

Alfonso X is born

1221

Spanish monarch, King of Castile and Leon, patron of literature and art, initiated the study of music at Salamanca University, helped compile "Cantigas de Santa Maria"

Walther von der Vogelweide dies

1230

Perotin dies

1238

organum, clausulae, conductus, master of discant organum at Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris, student of Leonin (?), 3-4 voice organum

Moniot d'Arras dies

1239

23 poems, 13 melodies remain, Trouvere, wrote several genres and forms, monk at Arras

Adam de la Halle is born

1245

chansons, musical plays, rondeaux, 7 motets, wrote polyphony

Anonymous IV

1250

Lots unknown, fl. somewhere around 1250+, music theorist, given information about Leonin, Perotin and organum, probably a student from England.

Alfonso X dies

1284

Adam de la Halle dies

1285

Philippe de Vitry is born

1291

treatise, motets, some isorhythmic, known as "inventor of new art", composer, theorist, bishop

Guillaume de Machaut is born

1300

"Mass of Notre Dame", over 400 poems, 23 motets, 19 lais, 42 ballades, 33 virelais, 22 rondeaux, leading composer and poet of Ars Nova

Ars Nova in France

Period: 1300 to 1350

New Art in France, focusing on new compositional techniques like isorhythm and hocket, lots accomplished in the area of rhythm.

Trecento in Italy

Period: 1300 to 1390

flowering of music, art and culture that happened in Italy in the 1300's

"Ars Nova" (Vitry)

1320

Treatise written by Philippe de Vitry in about 1320

Francesco Landini is born

1325

155 works, mostly ballate and madrigals, known for cadences, virtuoso organist, blind, most celebrated musician of the Italian Trecento, instrument maker

Philippe de Vitry dies

1361

"Mass of Notre Dame" (Machaut)

1365

polyphonic mass composed by French poet and composer Guillaume de Machaut

Guillaume de Machaut dies

1377

John Dunstaple is born

1390

20 mass sections, 2 complete masses, 40 motets, 2 secular songs, leading English composer, created new style of 3rds and 6ths that became the Renaissance style, many works destroyed during 1536-1540

Moving towards the Renaissance

Period: 1390 to 1430

The music and artistic culture starts to shift in Europe

Francesco Landini dies

1397

Guillaume du Fay is born

1397

7 masses, 28 mass sections, 90 motets, 15 antiphons, 27 hymns, 87 chansons, 22 motets, 13 of which were isorhythmic, Renaissance composer, used medieval cadences

The Renaissance

Period: 1430 to 1600

secular music becomes more popular, spreads. Polyphony was the primary texture, melodies were also numerous and simultaneous. Homophony emerged in the 1500's, most masses, motets were written after 1540. Madrigals served as experiments that lead to the Baroque era

"Bronze Statue of David" (Donatello)

1444

Work of art made by Donatello

Josquin des Prez is born

1450

18 masses, over 50 motets, 65 chansons, considered by Martin Luther to be "the master of notes", said to have had no peer in music

Heinrich Isaac is born

1450

36 masses, German, French, and Italian, "Choralis Constantinus", influenced German music, court composer to Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I in Vienna

Printing Press was invented

1450

invented by goldsmith and inventor Johannes Gutenberg began experimenting with printing in 1440 and had a printing machine perfected and ready for commercial use nearly 10 years later

Leonardo da Vinci is born

1452

Artist famous for making works like Mona Lisa

John Dunstaple dies

1453

Ottaviano Petrucci is born

1466

first music printer and publisher, preserved Renaissance music

Guillaume Du Fay dies

1474

"Diffinitorum musices" (Tinctoris)

1475

Johannes Tinctoris wrote the first dictionary of musical terms

Martin Luther is born

1483

German hymns, writings, German theologian and composer, founder of the Lutheran Church.

"Pange lingua Mass" (Prez)

1510

work composed by Jospuin des Prez

Heinrich Isaac dies

1517

Leonardo da Vinci dies

1519

Josquin de Prez dies

1521

"Choralis Constantantinus" (Isaac)

1535

anthology of over 450 chant based polyphonic motets written by Heinrich Isaac, completed or published somewhere around 1535

Ottaviano Petrucci dies

1539

William Byrd is born

1540

3 masses, 175 motets, anthems, antiphons, English, Catholic composer writing both Protestant and catholic music in England, greatest composer of his time

William Shakespeare is born

1564

English playwright, poet, actor, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language, and world's greatest dramatist.

"Pope Marcellus Mass" (Palestrina)

1567

Mass made by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina