Download The Seven Periods of Western Music History

Inspired by James Koperski
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Anytime you see the following icon, click on it
to open video clips of characteristic pieces
from each time period.
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Medieval
Renaissance
Baroque
Classical
Romantic
Impressionistic
Modern
(600 AD -1450 AD)
(1450 AD - 1600 AD)
(1600 AD - 1750 AD)
(1750 AD - 1820 AD)
(1820 AD - 1900 AD)
(1890 AD - 1915 AD)
(1910 AD - Present)
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The Crusades (1095 - 1291)
Notre Dame Cathedral is built (1163 – 1345)
Signing of the Magna Carta (1215)
Hundred Years War (1337 – 1453)
Black Death ravages Europe (1346-1353)
Joan of Arc is burned at the stake (1431)
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“Sacred Music” (music performed in church)
Gregorian Chant (sung by monks)
Everyone singing one melody without harmony (aka Monophony)
Utilizes “modes” - ancestors of the current major and minor scales
The text was religious in nature and sung in Latin
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Secular means “non-religious music”
Music that you would dance to or
hear in the court of a king
Standard musical instruments and
notation (as we know them) didn’t
exist during this period
Secular music was passed down
through the oral tradition, from
generation to generation.
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Guttenberg Bible, the first book printed in the West with movable metal type (1454)
St. Peter’s Basilica is built (1506 – 1615)
Copernicus develops the heliocentric (sun centered) planetary model (1508)
Michelangelo paints the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (1508 - 1512)
Martin Luther sparks the Protestant Reformation (1517)
Our third stop on the music history timeline is the
(1600 AD - 1750 AD)
Baroque translates to “Flawed
Pearl”. Baroque style is
characterized by grandeur,
drama, sensuous richness,
movement and tension. The
music of the era became
complex with multiple
melodies happening
simultaneously. This style is
called Polyphony.
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The last Tudor monarch, Queen Elizabeth I dies (1603)
Pilgrims sailing the Mayflower land on Plymouth Rock (1620)
Thirty Years War decimates Germany (1618 - 1648)
The Taj Mahal is built in Agra, India (1632 – 1653)
Isaac Newton publishes Principia Mathematica, contains
Newton’s Three Laws of Motion (1687)
Salem Witch Trials (1692)
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1685 – 1750
Worked for many years
as an organist and
composer for the
Protestant Church
Sired 20 children
Credited with
composing a staggering
1120 pieces
The fourth stop on the music history timeline is the
(1750 AD - 1820 AD)
The artists, architects and composers of the Classical Period embraced
“Neoclassicism”. They drew inspiration from the "classical" art and culture
of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. The modern Symphony Orchestra
was established during this period. Composers such as
Franz Joseph Haydn fully embraced this new medium. Haydn composed
52 piano sonatas, 126 string trios, 83 string quartets and106
symphonies over his lifetime (nearly 1,000 works in total).
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American Revolution (1775 – 1783)
French Revolution (1787 - 1799)
George Washington elected as first US President
(1789)
Alessandro Volta invents the battery (1800)
Napoleon Crowned Emperor (1804)
War of 1812 (1812 - 1815)
Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon is defeated and
then exiled (1815)
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1756 – 1791
Widely considered one of the most
prolific composers of all time
Began composing at the age of 6
Composed over 626 works, including:
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50
22
15
27
25
12
17
26
symphonies
operas
masses
concert arias
piano concertos
violin concertos
piano sonatas
string quartets
The fifth stop on the music history timeline is the
(1820 AD - 1900 AD)
The characteristic style of the Romantic Period was “Sturm und Drang”,
which translates to “Storm and Stress”. This style emphasized nature,
individualism, and extreme emotions. Music of the era was characterized by
chromaticism and the unexpected. Composers of the Romantic Period
threw away the musical conventions of the past to capture drama, suspense,
surprise and profound emotion through their music.
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Michael Faraday invents the electric motor (1821)
Queen Victoria ascends to the throne of England (1837)
Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species (1859)
American Civil War (1861 – 1865)
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln (1865)
Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone (1876)
Thomas Edison invents the first commercial incandescent light bulb (1879)
Eiffel Tower is constructed (1889)
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1770 – 1827
His early music began during
the Classical Period and his later
works helped shape the style
of the Romantic Period
Completely lost his hearing
over the course of his life
138 credited works including 9
symphonies
The opening of Beethoven’s 5th
Symphony is the most
recognizable melody in history
of Western Music
Our sixth stop on the music timeline is the
(1890 AD - 1915 AD)
The artists and composers of the Impressionistic Period
sought to capture feelings and experiences
through their works. Seminal artists of the period
(such as Vincent van Gogh and Claude Debussy)
explored new brush techniques, scales and
instrumentations to achieve the ethereal quality
of their work.
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Wilhelm Roentgen discovers X-rays (1895)
First modern Olympic Games takes place in Athens (1896)
US President William McKinley is assassinated (1901)
Ford’s Model T is first produced (1908)
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1862 – 1918
One of the most influential composers
of the Impressionistic Period
Composed over 141 works, including:
◦ 35 songs
◦ 14 orchestral works
◦ 4 ballets
◦ 38 works for piano
His most famous work is Clair de Lune
(French for Moonlight)
Our last stop on the music history timeline is the
(1910 AD - Present)
Artists of the Modern Period strove to be
experimental and innovative in their works.
Movements within the period such as
expressionism, minimalism and atonality
ripped away conventional approaches and
challenged the very definition of “art”.
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World War I (1914 - 1918)
First radio broadcast (1920)
World War II (1939 – 1945)
Korean War (1950 - 1953)
James Watson and Francis Crick discover the
double helix structure of DNA (1953)
Vietnam War (1959 – 1975)
John F Kennedy is assassinated (1963)
Astronauts first walk on the moon (1969)
The Berlin Wall is torn down (1989)
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1918 – 1990
Prominent 20th century
American composer, conductor
and pianist
His compositions ranged from
classical works (symphonies
and operas) to pop music (Film
scores and Broadway musicals)
Best known for composing the
music for West Side Story
Baroque
Medieval
Renaissance
Romantic
Classical
Modern
Impressionist
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