Historical periods
Renaissance 1450 - 1600
Renaissance refers to a re-birth of the human spirit, and the age saw a new interest in secular (non religious) music, including madrigals, dance tunes, songs for voice with lute and keyboard music
Church music remained important, with the Protestant reformation giving rise to new genres such as the German chorale (hymn) and English anthems.
Composers include Josquin, Palestrina, Byrd and Victoria
Baroque 1600 - 1750
This period begins with the invention of opera and before its end saw the foundation of the modern orchestra
Instrumental music became increasingly important, with new genres such as the sonata, suite and concerto
The sound of the harpsichord and exuberant contrapuntal textures are strong characteristics of the Baroque era
Composers include Monteverdi, Purcell, Vivaldi, Handel and Bach
Classical 1750 - 1825
The classical style emphasised clarity of line, elegance and melody-dominated homophony
The piano displaced the harpsichord as the keyboard instrument of choice while clarinets and horns helped swell the size of the orchestra
Instrumental music included symphonies, concertos, string quartets and piano sonatas and opera continued to grow in importance
Composers include Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert.
Romantic 1825 - 1900
The romantic style often emphasised emotional response in contrast to the balance and moderation of the Classical period
The orchestra reached its maximum size and virtuoso soloists dazzled audiences with their skills.
New genres emerged, such as Lieder and the descriptive tone poem.
Composers include Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Wagner, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Elgar and Puccini
Modern 1900 - 1975
The early 20th century saw many diverse trends in music. Composers increasingly used dissonance with some rejecting tonality entirely. Folk music, Jazz and World music became strong influences.
Experimental approaches to composition included music formed through chance and the use if electronically generated sounds.
Traditionalists continued to develop traditional forms, while music for film becomes a major force
Composers include Debussy, Schoenburg, Bartok, Gershwin, Britten, Stockhausen.
Postmodernism
Postmodernism refers to a variety of styles.
The best known new development is minimalism, although composers continue to experiment in different directions.
Composers have continued to write opera and music theatre pieces.
Composers include Steve Reich, Philip Glass.