“The end of all good music is to affect the
soul.” –Claudio Monteverdi
Mrs. Harner
8th Grade
General Music
Music History
A. Timeline of Music History
*Antiquity --- Pre-400 AD*
Middle Ages --- 400 AD - 1400 AD
• Gregorian chant (named for Pope Gregory)
Renaissance --- 1400 AD - 1600 AD
• Leonardo da Vinci, Shakespeare, Galileo, Medici Family, Martin Luther (Reformation)
Baroque --- 1600 AD - 1750 AD
• Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Ornamentation
Classical --- 1750 AD - 1825 AD
• Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn
Romantic --- 1825 AD - 1900 AD
• Schubert, Saint-Saens, Chopin, Brahms
20th Century --- 1900 AD - 1991 AD
• Gershwin, Copland, Stravinsky
Music History
The Middle Ages
400-1400 A.D.*
(or the Medieval Period)
*A.D. means Anno Domini “in the year of Our Lord”
Music History
The Middle Ages/Medieval Period:
• The Medieval period represents almost a thousand years
of the music history of Europe.
• This period is also called the Middle Ages and the Dark Ages.
* Many people died of disease during this period. (“Black Death”)
* It was a dark time in history because of sickness, and death.
• Much of the music of this time has been lost.
• Most of the composers of this time are anonymous.
* This means we don't know who they are. They didn't want to
be thought of as bragging, so they didn't sign their work.
• The Catholic Church had the strongest influence over all music
Music History
The Middle Ages/Medieval Period:
• 2 kinds of music:
SACRED: religious music or music of the Church
SECULAR: entertainment music; everyday life
• Notation: During the Medieval period most music was not written down.
• Composers who did write their music down usually worked for
the Catholic Church.
• The Church could afford to buy the materials the composers
would need to write music.
• People outside the Church were too poor to buy what was
needed to compose music.
Music History
C. Middle Ages ----- 400 - 1400 AD
1. Most important type of music:
a. Gregorian Chant
-named after Pope Gregory the Great
-also known as plainchant, plainsong, and chant
-definition: one melody sung in unison; only sung by
males during this time period, no accompanying
instruments (just voices), sacred (religious)
•“Neumes” were used to notate music before
the modern-day Five-line staff
Music History
C. Middle Ages ----- 400 - 1400 AD
2. Three divisions of people during the Middle Ages
a. nobility
-rich and elite
-kings, queens, princes, etc. made up this class
b. clergy
-religious scholars
-worked for the Catholic Church
c. peasants
-extremely poor, lower class citizens
-worked for the nobility
-lived to be about 30 years old
Music History
C. Middle Ages ----- 400 - 1400 AD
2. Three divisions of people during the Middle Ages
d. The clergy and nobility made up only 5% of the
population, while the peasants made up about 95%.
-The peasants could not get an education, therefore
they did not know very much about music. This is
why there was not very much music created during
the Middle Ages.
Music History
C. Middle Ages ----- 400 - 1400 AD
3. Sacred Music
a. Gregorian Chant (monophonic or only one melody)
Music History
C. Middle Ages ----- 400 - 1400 AD
3. Sacred Music
b. Leonin and Perotin
-two Catholic priests who were also composers
-they put two different Gregorian chants together
and singing them at the same time
-this was the beginning of polyphonic music
(two or more different melodies)
Music History
C. Middle Ages ----- 400 - 1400 AD
4. Secular Music
a. Simple songs about love, nature, mythology,
heroic battles, etc.
b. sung by traveling musicians who were called
troubadours.
-troubadours sang and played guitar-like instruments
called lutes.
Music History
C. Middle Ages ----- 400 - 1400 AD
5. The end of the Middle Ages:
a. The fall of a large city called Constantinople signaled
the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the
Renaissance.
-The Renaissance began at this time because all of
the musicians, artists, scholars, and scientists in
the city moved to other countries when the city
was conquered.