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Period: 500 to 1450
Medieval Period
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1030
Guido of Arezzo’s “Micrologus”
Made around 1030, this innovation created the 4-line staff, the idea of relative pitch, sight singing syllables, and the round b (which is flat) and a square b (which is natural). -
Period: 1098 to 1179
Hildegard of Bingen
A woman born into nobility, but promised to the church at a young age. Eventually started a convent near Bingen. Very popular composer and claimed all music was divinely inspired through visions. -
1323
Ars Nova Treatise
Laid the groundwork for modern notation, especially with meter signatures. This made it one of the most influential and significant treatises in the history of western music. -
Period: 1450 to
Renaissance
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1485
Ave Maria ... virgo serena
This piece by Josquin Motet was often referred to as the “Mona Lisa” of Renaissance Music. -
1529
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (A Mighty Fortress is our God)
Martin Luther. -
1538
Il bianco e dulce cigno
Italian Madrigal by Arcadelt. -
1567
Pope Marcellus Mass
Mass written by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and according to legend, this mass, dedicated to the pope, demonstrated that sacred words could be intelligible in polyphonic music with 6 voices. The significance to this piece is its mostly stepwise motion, dissonances introduced in suspensions and resolved on strong beats. These dissonances happen between beats, but only allowed if the moving voice is doing so in a stepwise fashion or as a suspension. -
1572
O magnum mysterium
Composed by Tomás Luis de Victoria. -
Sonata pian’e forte
Composed by Giovanni Gabrieli and performed in St. Mark’s Basilica, was very significant for 2 reasons. One reason being that it is the first ever written piece of music in history to specify what instrument plays what parts. Second reason is that it is the first piece of music in history to designate dynamics.