Periods of Classical Music

Classical Music is art music rooted in the

traditions of Western Music.

Medieval and Renaissance

The Medieval Period

Time: Approximately 500 1450 A.D

The Medieval Period

Most of the music at this time was sacred music
(church music); this music was called plainsong or
chant and represented the earliest known music of
the Christian church.
Plainsong is monophonic, which means that is
consisted of a single vocal part.
Around 1011 AD the Roman Catholic Church wanted
to standardize the Mass and chant, the resulting
music is what is called Gregorian Chant.
Most composers are not known.

Troubadours and Minstrels

During the High Middle Ages (late Medieval period)
the troubadour came into existence. A troubadour is a
composer and performer of poetry who made a
living as an entertainer, hired by wealthy nobles.
Most were not simply wandering entertainers, though
some did travel extensively from one court to another.
A troubadour is similar to a minstrel, but minstrels
generally told stories of distant places and events and
did not always create their own poetry.
Most troubadours and minstrels also played
instruments or sang their stories.

Instruments
Many of the instruments we use today existed in
the Medieval Era, but in a different form. At that
time the flute was made of wood instead of metal.
Early versions of the organ, fiddle, and trombone
(called the sackbut) existed.
Other instruments used include: The Pan Flute,
Recorder, Lute, Psaltery, Zither, Hurdy-gurdy and
hammered dulcimer. Jaw Harp/Jews Harp.
Bowed psaltery is not a true psaltry, came into use
in 1900s.

Instruments

Zither
Jews Harp

Pan Pipes
Psaltery

Hurdy Gurdy

Lute

Hammered Dulcimer

Music Notation

Music in the early part of the Medieval period was

generally passed on orally. Eventually music began
to be notated, though without a staff, and this is
where our modern music notation originated.

The Renaissance Period

Approximately 1450-1600

Early Staff Notation

The Renaissance
The Renaissance time period was a period of
intellectual rebirth, when the arts flourished, and
ideas and intellectual pursuits were highly valued.
Music was still dominated by the church but with
more sophisticated melodies and harmonies;
different styles begin to emerge.
Polyphony, having more than one note (having
harmony) came into common usage.
The development of printing made distribution of
music possible on a wide scale, and demand for
music as entertainment and as an activity for
educated amateurs increased.

Renaissance Instruments
Brass: Slide trumpet, cornetto
(like recorder but blown like
brass, largest was called
serpent), trumpet, sackbut (early
trombone).
String: viol, lyre, Irish harp,
hurdy-gurdy, harpsichord.
Percussion: jaw harp and
tambourine.
Woodwind: shawm, reed pipe,
bag pipe, transverse flute,
recorder, panpipe.

Renaissance Instruments
Slide
Trumpet
or
Sacbut

Irish Harp

Viol

Serpent (largest Cornetto)

Cornetto

Shawm

Recorder

Notable Composers
William Byrd
(c. 1540
1623)
Giovanni Pierluigi da
Palestrina, c. 15251594

Giovanni Gabrieli
(c. 1554/1557
1612).
Claudio Monteverdi,
15671643

Need to Know
Approximate time periods for Medieval
(500-1450) and Renaissance (1450-1600)
Sacred vs. Secular religious music vs.
non-religious music
Some instruments for extra credit
What a Troubadour is
What polyphony and monophony mean
(more than 1 part, one part)
What period printing began (Renaissance)