Michael Tilson Thomas: Music and emotion through time. Medieval and Renaissance Instruments. Petrucci Music Library: Free Public Domain Sheet Music. The Classical Score. Musical Timeline. Western Music History. Western Music History can be traced back to Medieval times, with the Introduction of Chanting (later termed Gregorian Chanting) into the Catholic church services. Western Music then started becoming more of an art form with the advances in music notation and more focus on secular themes that occurred in the Renaissance period.
We then have expansions of range and complexity as we move into the Baroque era. The Classical era gives us the emotional power associated with such composers as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Romanticism then transforms the rigid styles and forms of the Classical era into more individualistic stylizations. Tonality was at its peak during this period, then Impressionist music paved the way to the use of extreme dissonances in the music of the Modern era. This process continued into the current Contemporary period of music. Table of contents[edit] A Note Time Periods[edit] There is no clear line when the Renaissance began and the Middle Ages ended. About this book[edit] Music History Timeline. Home - Music History.