-
Period: 500 to 1440
Medieval Period
-
1030
Guido of Arezzo's "Micrologus"
This treatise explored Guido's revolutionary ideas of the four-line staff, the concept of relative pitch, the use of sight-singing syllables, and the introduction of the first accidentals -- "round b", or b flat, and "square b", or b natural. -
Period: 1098 to 1179
Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard was the most prolific composer before the 1500s. She became a nun at 16, and allegedly had visions. She turned these visions into poems, then into music. She was sought after for her prophetic visions by kinds, bishops, and popes. She signed her name on her music, which was unusual for the time. -
1323
Ars Nova Treatise
This treatise laid the groundwork for modern musical notation. It also included both triple and duple time signatures. -
Period: 1450 to
Renaissance Period
-
1483
Josquin’s "Ave Maria ... virgo serena"
This piece was called the "Mona Lisa" of renaissance music. It was a renaissance motet. It referred to the five feasts of the virgin, or the stations in the life of Mary from Conception through Assumption. -
1529
Martin Luther's Chorale "Ein feste burg ist unser Gott" (A Mighty Fortress is our God)
This was Martin Luther's most famous chorale, and it became an anthem for the reformation period. -
1538
Arcadelt Madrigal "Il bianco e dolce cigno"
A madrigal is a through-composed musical setting of a high art poem that attempted to convey the ideas and feelings in the text by a series of changing musical textures and images. Madrigals began as social music and were easily sight-readable.
The text of this madrigal alludes to a sexual climax (referred to in the 16th century as “the little death”) “dying fills me fully with complete joy and desire.” This was most likely performed by 4 men sitting around a table. -
1560
Palestrina's "Pope Marcellus Mass"
Palestrina's "Pope Marcellus Mass" proved that sacred text was able to still be intelligible despite being written in polyphony. -
Victoria "Missa O magnum mysterium" 1592
This was a parody or "imitation" mass based on his original motet "O magnum mysterium" (1572). -
Gabrieli's "Sonata pian’e forte"
This piece was likely written for St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy. It was the first of two things: it was the first piece to specify which instrument played which part, and it was the first piece to specify dynamics in the title. -
Period: to
Baroque Era
-
Monteverdi's "L’Orfeo"
-
First Public Concerts in England
-
Period: to
Johann Sebastian Bach's Life
-
Antonio Vivaldi's "L’Estro Armonico"
This piece was the most influential publication of the 1700s. It began the popularity of the Italian concerto across Europe. -
Rameau's "Traité de l’harmonie"
This piece was the most influential of every theoretical work. It arranged the practices of his contemporaries into a set form. It set the premises for teaching functional harmony, and is still used today. -
Bach's "The Well-Tempered Clavier", Volume 1
This publication demonstrated the new ability of the modernly-tuned piano to play in all 24 major and minor keys. -
Period: to
PreClassical Period
-
Period: to
Franz Joseph Haydn's Lifespan
-
Handel's "Messiah"
-
Period: to
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Lifespan
-
Period: to
Viennese Classical Period
-
Period: to
Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges as director of Concerts des Amateurs
Joseph Bologne was one of the most famous composers and musicians at the time, and accomplished all of this despite being Black and experiencing racism. He was director of Concerts des Amateurs, which was one of the finest orchestras in Europe. -
Mozart's "Don Giovanni"
-
Haydn's Symphony No. 94 "Surprise"
-
Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5 in C minor" (premiere date)
This symphony, widely known for its iconic four-note motif, premiered in 1808 and quickly rose to become a standard of the era. This symphony was written during Beethoven's Second Period. -
Schubert's "Erlkönig" (composition date)
This piece, written for solo voice and piano, exemplifies the standard of "Lieder", music set to poetry. It also represents the Romantic era fascination with fantasy characters, such as elves. -
Rossini's "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" (premiere date)
This opera is an iconic masterpiece of musical comedy, and is still popular over 200 years later. -
Nicolo Paganini's "24 Caprices for Violin, op.1" (complete first publication)
Composed in 1805 but published in 1820, this piece was a deviation from the norm of the time. It was dedicated to all professional musicians, and yet considered to be impossible to play by many. -
Period: to
Frederic Chopin's "Mazurkas Op.7" (composition date range)
A Mazurka is an energetic Polish dance in a triple feel. This composition consists of five pieces. -
Berlioz's "Symphonie fantastique" (composition date)
Also known as "Episodes in an Artist's Life", this piece was inspired by Berlioz's fascination with his eventual wife and then ex-wife, Shakespearean actress Harriet Smithson. It was one of the first Programmatic symphonies, depicting a storyline with the music. -
Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel's "Das Jahr" (composition date)
Das Jahr is written for piano and includes a movement for each of the twelve months of the year, as well as a postlude. Hensel was discouraged by her father and brother from pursuing music, but was encouraged by her artist husband and continued to make music nonetheless. -
Louis Moreau Gottschalk's "Souvenir de Porto Rico"
Gottschalk was the first American composer to achieve international fame. In 1845, Chopin predicted that he would become "King of the Pianists". -
Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" (original piano version)
This work is a suite consisting of ten pieces written for piano. It is often played as a "showpiece" for advanced pianists. -
Bizet's "Carmen" (premiere date)
This opera broke boundaries in terms of what was allowed to be depicted on stage in operas. At the time of its premiere, Carmen was very controversial. -
Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" (premiere of complete cycle)
Der Ring des Nibelungen is a cycle of four works based on Norse legends and mythology. Perhaps the most well-known of these works is Die Walküre, which has gained individual popularity. -
Brahms' "Symphony No.4" (premiere)
Symphony No. 4 in E minor is the last of Brahms' Symphonies. It was written just one year following his third symphony. -
Mahler's "Symphony No.1" (premiere)
When this piece first premiered, it received its fair share of criticism, and so Mahler continued to make adjustments until it reached its final four-movement form. It originally began as a tone poem. -
Claude Debussy “Voiles” from Préludes Book 1
This Book 1 was published as a tribute to Chopin on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Each prelude has a word at the end of the work in parentheses which serves as a descriptive title to suggest imagery for the work. Impressionism. -
Arnold Schönberg: Pierrot Lunaire
Atonal and Expressionist work. Utilizes Sprechstimme. -
Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (premiere)
Subtitled "Scenes from Pagan Russia". Cool iconic bassoon solo. -
Manuel de Falla: Homenaje (Homage) for Solo Guitar
Published in memory of Debussy. Quotes one of his piano works, Soirée dans Grenade (Evening in Granada). -
George and Ira Gershwin: “I Got Rhythm”
Tin Pan Alley song: center of American pop music publishing. -
Margaret Bonds Concert Spiritual: “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
Poem by Langston Hughes set to music, written when he was 18 in 1920. -
Dimitri Shostakovich: Symphony No.5 (premiere)
On the outside, appeared as socialist realism, but contained notes of sarcasm, bitterness, and angst. Had a 30-minute standing ovation. "A Soviet artist's reply to just criticism." -
Duke Ellington: Cottontail
This work is a "contrafact", a new melody composed over a preexisting harmonic structure taken from a different work. -
Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring
Copland was commissioned to write a ballet with an American theme, written for 13 piece orchestra. Was later condensed into a suite for symphony orchestra. -
John Cage: Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano
Cage was commissioned to write a ballet score that featured percussion, but the studio couldn't afford a percussion ensemble. Thus, the prepared piano was born, in which screws, pennies, and other various objects are inserted into the piano to create percussive sounds. Inspired by Javanese Gamelan Orchestras. -
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
Studio album by Miles Davis, jazz trumpet player and composer. -
George Crumb: Ancient Voices of Children
Unconventional sound sources and sound effects. -
John Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine
Fanfare for orchestra. Derived from minimalism. Performance length is about four and a half minutes.