Music History Timeline

Musical Time Periods

Music is organized by time periods. Lets take a look at the different historical periods in music, their musical traits and some famous composers from each one.

Time Line

1400

Medieval EndsRenaissance Begins

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The Classical Era began around 1750 and ended around 1820. Some composers during this time were Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn. Click on Beethoven to hear some of his music.

Music during this time was less ornate than in the Baroque era and had clearly heard showcased instruments. During this time the ochestra increased in size.

The Medieval Period was from 400-1400. During this time the most common instruments were wooden flute, recorder, and several simple string instruments.

1600

Renaissance EndsBaroque Begins

1750

Baroque Era Ends Classical Era begins around 1730, these era overlap slightly

1820

1900

Romantic Era Begins

Romantic Era EndsModern and 20th Century Begin

400

The Lute was a common Medieval Instrument

The Renaissance Period began in 1400 and ended around 1600. It was during this time that music for entertainment began to gain popularity. This was also when written music was becoming more common. Instruments at this time included wooden flute,the beginning of brass instruments, string instruments like the viol and lyre, and small percussion such as the tambourine.

The Baroque Era began in 1600 and ended around 1750. More instruments were added to written music, these included keyboard instruments such as the harpsichord and fortepiano, the early version of piano. Many instruments that we use today were used during this time. Some Baroque composers include Handel, Bach, and Vivaldi.

The Romantic Era began around 1820. Much of the music written during this time was nationalistic. Nature, emotion, and mystery were common themes in Romantic music. Some composers during this time were Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Chopin. Mussorgsky was another well known composer who wrote "Pictures at an Exhibition." Above is the picture "Great Gate of Kiev" that part of the piece is based on.

20th Century and Modern Music explored new styles and new sounds. Technology changed instruments used and new electronic instruments were brought into music. Music recording changed the way that people listened to music and added to the popularity of artists and composers. This musical era began around 1900 and goes to present day. This time period encompasses early 20th century as well as styles that we currently listen to. Below is the synthesizer, a modern instrument.