Copy of Music Timeline

Early Music (1000-1400)

Renaissance (1400-1600)

Baroque (1600-1750)

Classical (1750-1820)

Romantic (1820-1900)

Modern (1900-1980)

Post-Modern (1980-Present)

Music

Events Related to Music

Historical Events

Literature

Philosophy

1000 A.D.

Sight singing introduced at Pomposa Monastery near Ravenna (1015)

Guido of Arezzo writes about music (1025)

• Writes music notation
• and solfege syllables ("do, re, mi, fa...")

Magister Franco becomes the first music critic (1041)

The harp arrives in Europe (1050)

Polyphonic singing replaces Gregorian chant (1050)

Time values given to musical notation (1050)

The Normans conquer England (1066)

The University of Oxford begins teaching (1096)

1100

Beginnings of secular music (1100)

Music school of St. Martial at Limoges develops polyphonic style (1100)

• A style of musical composition in which various more-or-less independent 'lines' occur simultaneously

Beginning of troubadour music in France (1125)

• A poet who writes verse to music.

New dance forms begin to appear in France and Germany (1150)

Troubadour music in southern France becomes organized (1150)

1200

Cymbals introduced as musical instrument (1200)

King John I of England Signs the Magna Carta (1215)

Boy’s Choir at Kreuz-Kirche, Dresden founded (1220)

Philosopher- Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Is born

• Believed in the existence of several natural theological truths
• Believed there were two paths to God: 1.Through Faith & Christian revelation 2. Through reason & the senses

The “Portatio” a portable small organ is invented (1250)

Composer- Adam de la Halle writes”LeJeu de la Feuillee.” first French “Operette” (1262)

1300

Marchettus of Padua pleads for the introduction of counterpoint in musical composition (1309)

The pope forbids the use of counterpoint in church music (1322)

• The art or technique of setting, writing, or playing a melody or melodies in conjunction with another, according to fixed rules

Organ pedals come into use (1325)

Black Plague kills one third of Europe's population (1348-49)

Lute playing is now popular throughout Europe (1350)

Beginnings of the development of the clavichord and cembalo (1360)

1400

Philosophy- Humanism is popular (14th- 15th Centuries)

• Humanism is "an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns, attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters."

Music begins to be printed (1465)

Philosopher- Martin Luther (1483-1546) is born

• Believed that man did not need a priest to receive God's forgiveness

Ballet begins at Italian courts (1490)

Columbus sails to America (1492)

Music theorist Johannes Tinctoris writes his Dictionary of Musical Terms (1495)

University of Oxford institutes degrees in music (1499)

1500

Martin Luther nails 95 theses in Wittenberg (1517)

Italian madrigals are popular (1533)

• Madrigals are: "multiple melodies sung simultaneously by different voices within a choir."

First conservatories of music are founded in Naples for boys, in Venice for girls (1537)

The violin in its present form begins to develop (1553)

Orlando di Lasso publishes his first book of motets (1556)

Philosopher- Francis Bacon (1561) is born

• He was an Empiricist. Empiricism believes that "knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory experience"

Earliest known music festival to honor St Cecilia, in Normandy (1570)

Author- Claudio Montverdi (1567-1643) publishes his first book of madrigals (1587)

Composer- John Dowland publishes his "First Book of Songes" (1597)

Philosopher- Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) is born

• He was a Materialist
• Believed all phenomena, including animals, consist of particles of matter, even the soul

Philosophy- Descartes (1596-1650) is born

• Rationalism is the belief that knowledge is only attainable through reason
• He was also a Dualist. He believed there was a distinct division of matter and spirit

Composer- Jacopo Peri (1561–1633) composes first opera in history titled Dafne (1598)

1600

Composer- Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643), one of the first major opera composers, writes opera titled Orfeo, in Italy (1607)

Thirty Years' War begins between the Hapsburg Holy Roman Empire and France, England, Sweden, ect (1618)

Pilgrims sign Mayflower Compact at Cape Cod (1620)

Philosopher- Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) is born

• He was a Rationalist like Descartes
• He was also a Panthiest, he believed God is in all and all is in God.

First public opera house opens in Venice (1637)

Composer- Claudio Monterverdi wrote the opera L'Incoronazione di Poppea (1642)

Aria and recitative become two distinct entities in opera (1648)

Beginning of modern harmony (1650)

The overture as musical form emerges in two types: Italian and French (1650)

Composer- Francesco Cavalli writes "Serse," an Opera for the marraige of LouisXIV (1660)

French horn becomes an orchestral instrument (1664)

Philosophy- Age of the Enlightenment (1650- 1700)

• Its purpose was to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted science and intellectual interchange and opposed superstition.

Violinist- John Banister gives first public concert at Whitefriars, London (1672)

First German opera house opens in Hamburg (1678)

Philosopher- George Berkeley, an Empiricist, is born (1685)

1700

Philosopher- David Hume (1711-1776) is born

• He was an Empiricist
• And an Agnostic, he believed God's existence can neither be proved nor disproved

Composer- Johann Sebastian Bach (1685- 1750) writes "Well Tempered Clavier" (1722)

Philosopher- Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is born

• He was an empericist and rationalist

Composer- George Frederic Handel (1685- 1759) writes "Water Music" and performs it on a barge behind King George (1717)

Inventor- Bartolommeo Cristofori (1655-1731) invents the first Piano (1709)

Composer- Antonio Vivaldi (1678- 1741) writes "Four Seasons" in Italy (1723)

Composer- George Frederic Handel first performs world famous "Messiah" in Dublin, Ireland (1742)

Declaration of Independence is signed (1776)

Composer- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart writes Piano Concero no. 22 in E-flat major (1785)

The American Constitutional Convention begins (1787)

• Happened 11 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed
• Took place to address problems in the U.S. government

President- George Washington becomes the first U.S. President (1789)

The French Revolution begins (1789)

• Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle(1760-1836), although not a composer, wrote "La Marseillaise" during this time, which later became the French Anthem

1800

Philosophy- Age of Romanticism (1800-1840)

• It was a revolt against aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature.
• It was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature, but had a major impact on historiography, education and the natural sciences.

Emperor- Napoleon crowns himself Emperor of France (1804)

• Beethoven, tears up his Third Symphony "Eroica" which was dedicated to Napolean, after realizing the man's selfishness.

Composer- Ludwig Van Beethoven writes Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Symphonies (1806-7)

Philosopher- Charles Darwin (1809-1882) is born

• He was an evolutionist
• Was the founder of Darwinism

The U.S. goes to war with Great Britain (1812)

• Napolean is defeated in Russia
• Beethoven writes his Seventh and Eighth Symphonies

Philosopher- Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) is born

• Believed "What is true for me, isn't necessarily true for you" truth is personal and subjective

The Metronome is invented (1815)

Composer- Beethoven finishes his Ninth Symphony (1823)

• He uses solo voices and a choir for the first time in that form

Composer- Felix Mendelssohn, age 17, writes his Overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1826)

Composer- Hector Berlioz performs "Symphonie Fantastique" in Paris (1829)

Music is taught in an American public scool for the first time in Boston (1838)

The New York Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmoic orchestras are founded (1842)

Composer- Richard Wagner writes his first successful opera "Rienzi" (1842)

Composer- Robert Schumann writes his Third Symphony (1851)

The America Civil War begins (1861)

Composer- Richard Wagner's opera "Tannhauser" premires in Paris (1861)

Composer- Johannes Brahms writes his "German Requiem" (1868)

Composer- Antonin Dvorak writes his "Serenade for Strings" (1875)

Inventor- Thomas Edison invents the phonograph. (1877)

Composer- Johannes Brahms finishes his First Symphony, and writes his Second in a matter of months. (1877)

Composer- Johannes Brahms completes his Fourth Symphony. (1885)

Composer- Gustav Mahler writes his First Symphony1889)

Composer- Richard Strauss writes the tone poem "Don Juan". (1889)

Composer- Peter Tchaikovsky writes his Sixth Symphony, and dies a week after conducting it's premire. (1893)

Composer- Claude Debussy writes "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun". (1894)

Composer- Gustav Mahler finishes his Second and Third Symphonies (1894-1896)

1900

Composer- Gustav Mahler writes his Fourth Symphony (1901)

Composer- Claude Debussy finishes "La Mer" (1905)

Composer- Gustav Mahler becomes conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. (1907)

• Two years later he becomes conductor of the New York Philharmonic

Music is played on the rado for the first time. (1907)

Composer- Marice Ravel writes the ballet "Daphnis and Chloe", and "Mother Goose Suite" (1910)

Composer- Igor Stravnsky writes his ballet "The Firebird" (1910)

Composer- Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" premires in Paris, causing a riot. (1913)

• World War 1 begins a year later

The Unted States enters World War 1 (1917)

Comoser- Sergei Prokofiev writes his First Symphony. (1918)

• World War 1 ends

Composer- Arnold Schoenberg develops his 12-tone technique. (1922)

Composer- George Gershwin composes "Rhapsody in Blue" (1925)

Composer- Dmitri Schostakovich writes his First Symphony as his final exam for the Leningrad Conservatory (1926)

The stock market crashes (1929)

• this puts the U.S. into the Great Depression

Composer- Duke Ellington writes “It Don't Mean a Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing,” a song that presaged the swing era of the 1930s and 1940s. (1932)

Composer- George Gershwin writes his jazzy opera "Porgy and Bess" (1935)

Electric guitars debut (1936)

World War 2 begins (1939)

• Composer- Prokofiev writes music for the movie "Alexander Nevsky"

Composer- Aaron Copland writes his ballet "Appalachian Spring" (1944)

World War 2 ends (1945)

Artist- Elvis Presley emerges as one of the world's first rock stars (1956)

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences sponsors the first Grammy Award ceremony for music recorded (1959)

• Frank Sinatra wins his first Grammy Award -- Best Album for Come Dance with Me

Artist- John Coltrane forms his own quartet and becomes the voice of jazz's New Wave movement (1960)

President- John F. Kennedy assassinated in Dallas, Texas (1963)

The new Metropolitan Opera House opens in New York (1966)

Artist- The Beatles, a British band composed of John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, take Britain by storm. The Rolling Stones emerge as the anti-Beatles, with an aggressive, blues-derived style. (1963)

Artists- such as The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane enjoy great success during this period with songs celebrating the counterculture of the '60s (1967)

Astronaut- Neil Armstrong walks on the moon (1969)

The Beatles break up (1970)

• By the end of the year, each member had released a solo album.

Michael Jackson aka King of Pop begins his solo career (1971)

Women dominate the Grammy Awards (1971)

• Carole King wins Record, Album and Song of the Year
• Carly Simon takes the Best New Artist award

The Jamaican film The Harder They Come, starring Jimmy Cliff, launches the popularity of reggae music in the United States. (1973)

Sony introduces the Walkman, the first portable stereo (1978)

Patti Smith releases what is considered to be the first punk rock single, “Hey Joe.” (1974)

• Punk roars out of Britain during the late-'70sin response to bland music of the day

MTV goes on the air running around the clock music videos, debuting with “Video Killed the Radio Star.” (1981)

The Sugar Hill Gang releases the first commercial rap hit, “Rapper's Delight,” bringing rap off the New York streets and into the popular music scene. (1979)

Michael Jackson releases Thriller, which sells more than 25 million copies, becoming the biggest-selling album in history. (1982)

With the introduction of noise-free compact discs, the vinyl record begins a steep decline (1983)

Madonna launches her first road show, the Virgin Tour. (1985)

Seattle band Nirvana releases the song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on the LP Nevermind and enjoys national success. (1991)

• With Nirvana's hit comes the grunge movement, which is characterized by distorted guitars, dispirited vocals,and lots of flannel.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum opens in Cleveland (1995)

Janet Jackson becomes the highest-paid musician in history when she signs an $80-million deal with Virgin Records (1996)

The Backstreet Boys release their self-titled debut album which reaches the top 10 on the Billboard 200 (1996)

• All six of their other albums also make the top 10, making them the first band to achieve this since Sade

Tomislav Uzelac of Advanced Multimedia Products (AMP) invents the MP3 player (1997)

Britney Spears releases her debut album ...Baby One More Time (1999)

2000 A.D.

Abortion pill, RU-486, wins U.S. approval (2001)

The Stroke become the pioneers of Indie Music (2001)

Terrorists attack United States aka 9-11 (2001)

The top-selling album is a white rap album, Eminem's Show (2002)

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sues more than 260 individuals for sharing music on the Internet, including some children (2003)

Apple introduces the on-line music service "iTunes", which sells 25 million songs by december (2003)

The top-selling album of 2003 is a black rap album, 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003)

Gay marriages begin in Massachusetts, the first state in the country to legalize such unions (2004)

143 millions songs are downloaded legally in the USA (2004)

CD sales decrease 7% in the USA to $602.2 million, while music downloads more than doubled from $134 million to $332 million (2005)

Taylor Swift's debut self-titled Album is released (2006)

The annual "CMJ Music Marathon" presents 1,000 indie rock bands (2007)

Lady Gaga records her first album (2008)

Barack Obama is elected president (2008)

Owl City's song Fireflies makes number 1 on Billboards Hot 100 (2009)

Pop stars perform for the benefit "Hope for Haiti" (2009)

Lady Antebellum wins Record of the Year (2010)

Justin Bieber's song Baby gains him worldwide fame (2010) (and the title of Artist of the Year

Electropop duo LMFAO had the longest-running top-ten single in 2011 with "Party Rock Anthem" which remained in the top ten for twenty-six weeks (2011)

With Katy Perry's fourth single from Teenage Dream, "E.T.", she becomes the only artist in history to spend 52 consecutive weeks in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 (2011)

Pop rock band Maroon 5 scored their fourth top-ten single with "Moves Like Jagger" The song remained at the Hot 100 summit for four weeks, and ranked number nine on Billboard's year-end Hot 100 list (2011)

Adele becomes the first female artist to have three singles in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time (2012)

We Are Young by Fun makes number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (2012)

Justin Bieber's single Boyfriend has the second-highest first week sales of a new single, debuting at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (2012)