Medieval period dates (music): About 500 to 1400 Renaissance period dates (music): About 1400 to 1600 Baroque period dates (music): About 1600 to 1750 Classical period dates (music): About 1750 to 1820 Romantic period dates (music): About 1820 to 1900 20th-century period (music): About 1900 to 2000, with many new styles Gregorian chant: Unaccompanied sacred song with a single melody, from the Medieval era Monophony: One melodic line with no accompaniment Polyphony: Several independent melodies at once Homophony: A main melody with chordal accompaniment Hildegard of Bingen: Medieval composer and abbess, 1098 to 1179 Guido of Arezzo: Medieval monk who helped develop staff notation and do-re-mi Madrigal: Renaissance song for several voices, often about love or nature Palestrina: Renaissance Italian master of church choral music Josquin des Prez: Renaissance composer from the Franco-Flemish region William Byrd: English Renaissance composer Printing press and music: Made printed sheet music possible in the Renaissance Characteristics of Baroque music: Ornamentation, strong bass line, terraced dynamics, counterpoint Basso continuo: A bass line with chords, played by harpsichord and cello in Baroque music Fugue: A piece where a theme enters one voice at a time and is imitated Counterpoint: The art of combining independent melodies Opera: A drama sung with orchestra, first developed around 1600 Oratorio: A large choral work with soloists and orchestra, without staging Concerto: A work for a solo instrument and orchestra Johann Sebastian Bach: Baroque German master, 1685 to 1750 George Frideric Handel: Baroque composer born in Germany, worked in England, 1685 to 1759 Antonio Vivaldi: Baroque Venetian composer, 1678 to 1741 Characteristics of Classical music: Balance, clarity, simple melodies, clear forms Sonata form: A structure with exposition, development and recapitulation Symphony: A large orchestral work usually in four movements String quartet: A piece for two violins, viola and cello Joseph Haydn: Classical composer, called the father of the symphony, 1732 to 1809 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Classical composer, 1756 to 1791, born in Salzburg Ludwig van Beethoven: Bridge between Classical and Romantic, 1770 to 1827 Characteristics of Romantic music: Strong emotion, big orchestras, program music, nationalism Program music: Instrumental music that tells a story or paints a picture Nationalism in music: Using folk songs and traditions of a composer's homeland Frederic Chopin: Romantic Polish pianist and composer, 1810 to 1849 Franz Schubert: Romantic composer famous for hundreds of art songs Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Romantic Russian composer, 1840 to 1893 Johannes Brahms: Romantic German composer, 1833 to 1897 Impressionism in music: Music of mood and color using unusual scales, led by Debussy Claude Debussy: French composer linked with Impressionism Atonal music: Music not centered on a key Arnold Schoenberg: Composer who developed twelve-tone music Minimalism: Music built from simple patterns repeated and slowly changed Philip Glass: American minimalist composer Neoclassicism: 20th-century return to Classical balance and form Igor Stravinsky: Russian-born composer of The Rite of Spring, 1882 to 1971 Aaron Copland: American composer who used folk tunes, 1900 to 1990 Electronic music: Music created using synthesizers and electronic sound Musique concrete: Music assembled from recorded real-world sounds John Cage: American composer known for 4'33" of silence Clara Schumann: Romantic pianist and composer, 1819 to 1896 Fanny Mendelssohn: Romantic German composer and pianist, 1805 to 1847 Florence Price: American composer, first Black woman to have a symphony played by a major orchestra, 1933 Harpsichord vs piano: Harpsichord plucks strings; piano hammers strike them and can play soft or loud Pianoforte: The original name of the piano, meaning soft-loud Absolute music: Music with no story or picture, enjoyed for its own sake Era known for virtuoso performers like Liszt and Paganini: Romantic Era in which the orchestra grew and the piano became popular in homes: Romantic Era when the harpsichord and organ were common keyboard instruments: Baroque Free flashcards from Peabody at peabody.kids/flashcards/music-history-eras