Medieval Music (c. 500–1400) – Overview
The Medieval Music era spans roughly 500–1400 CE, encompassing the development of plainchant, early polyphony, and the first notational systems that laid the groundwork for later Western art music.
Early Periods
Explore Early Periods with music dictionary guides to ancient, medieval, and Renaissance music, notation, chant, modes, and sacred forms.
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Gregorian Chant Era
The Gregorian Chant era spans roughly the 6th to the 9th centuries, marking the development of monophonic, Latin-liturgical chant standardized under the auspices of the Frankish Church. Its defining trait is the use of modal melodic formulas and neumatic notation.
Renaissance Music (c. 1400–1600)
The Renaissance music era (c.1400–1600) marked a flourishing of polyphonic texture, modal harmony, and the rise of printed music, shaping Western art music for centuries.
Madrigal Era
The Madrigal Era (c.1520‑c.1590) marks the height of secular polyphonic vocal music in the Renaissance, renowned for expressive text‑setting and intricate counterpoint.