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Period: 800 to 1400
Medieval/Gothic Era
Characteristic instruments of this era include the flute, dulcimer, and lyra, as well as the recorder and lute. -
Period: 1400 to
Renaissance Era
Instruments special to the Renaissance Era include the sackbut (like a trombone), lute, viol de gamba, and keyboard instruments like the organ and harpsichord. -
Period: to
Baroque (Bach) Era
The harpsichord, pipe organ, viol, lute and flutes/recorders were popular during the Baroque Era. I’m calling it the Bach era because he’s one of the most famous composers of the time period. -
Period: to
Classical Era
As music became more structured, orchestra size/presence increased, harpsichords were replaced with forte/pianos, and dynamic markings and phrasing began to appear more consistently. -
Period: to
Romantic Era
The Romantic era generally included only lieder, a German song containing only a single vocalist and a piano. -
Period: to
Modern Era
Modern music contains anything from electronically generated dance beats to simple guitar and piano melodies.