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Antiquity: Ancient Greece

Western music has its roots in Ancient Greece, where music was an important part of social and cultural life. Greek musical literacy led to advancements in music theory and the development of musical modes that became the basis for later religious and classical music. During the Middle Ages, chanting was introduced to the Catholic Church and notation advanced, though most surviving music is Gregorian chant. In the Renaissance, music became more secular and the printing press helped styles spread more quickly. Composers wrote rich polyphonic sacred music and musical activity shifted to royal courts across Europe.

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39 views2 pages

Antiquity: Ancient Greece

Western music has its roots in Ancient Greece, where music was an important part of social and cultural life. Greek musical literacy led to advancements in music theory and the development of musical modes that became the basis for later religious and classical music. During the Middle Ages, chanting was introduced to the Catholic Church and notation advanced, though most surviving music is Gregorian chant. In the Renaissance, music became more secular and the printing press helped styles spread more quickly. Composers wrote rich polyphonic sacred music and musical activity shifted to royal courts across Europe.

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kj201992
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Antiquity

Western cultures have had a major influence on the development of music. The history of the music of the Western cultures can be traced back to Ancient Greece times.

Ancient Greece
Music was an important part of social and cultural life in Ancient Greece. Musicians and singers played a prominent role in Greek theater.[18] Mixed-gender choruses performed for entertainment, celebration, and spiritual ceremonies.[19] Instruments included the double-reed aulos and a plucked string instrument, the lyre, principally the special kind called akithara. Music was an important part of education, and boys were taught music starting at age six. Greek musical literacy created a flowering of music development. Greek music theory included the Greek musical modes, that eventually became the basis for Western religious and classical music. Later, influences from the Roman Empire, Eastern Europe, and the Byzantine Empire changed Greek music. The Seikilos epitaph is the oldest surviving example of a complete musical composition, including musical notation, from anywhere in the world.

The Middle Ages

The medieval era (476 AD to 1400 AD) started with the introduction of chanting into Roman Catholic Church services. Western Music then started becoming more of an art form with the advances in music notation. The only European Medieval repertory that survives from before about 800 is themonophonic liturgical plainsong of the Roman Catholic Church, the central tradition of which was called Gregorian chant. Alongside these traditions ofsacred and church music there existed a vibrant tradition of secular song. Examples of composers from this period are Lonin, Protin and Guillaume de Machaut.

The Renaissance
T.L. de Victoria
Amicus meus

Allegory of Music, byFilippino Lippi

Renaissance music (c. 1400 A.D. to 1600 A.D.) was more focused on secular themes. Around 1450, the printing press was invented, and that helped to disseminate musical styles more quickly and across a larger area. Thus, music could play an increasingly important role in daily life. Musicians worked for the church, courts and towns. Church choirs grew in size, and the church remained an important patron of music. By the middle of the 15th century, composers wrote richly polyphonic sacred music. Prominent composers from this era are Guillaume Dufay, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina,Thomas Morley, and Orlande de Lassus. However, musical activity shifted to the courts. Kings and princes competed for the finest composers. Many leading important composers came from Holland, Belgium, and northern France and are called the Franco-Flemish composers. They held important positions throughout Europe, especially in Italy. Other countries with vibrant musical lives include Germany, England, and Spain.

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