Classical music has been with us for ages. However, it was not always the same style of music – it evolved over time. Below are the major time periods that classical music is divided into.

Ancient – This music is generally from ancient Greece, and goes up until the time of the Roman Empire, approximately 476.

Medieval – From 476 until around 1100, the most common type of music in this era was the Gregorian Chant (or monophonic chant), using no harmony – think chanting monks. After 1100 harmony began to be added, although it was still in chant form, called polyphonic chant. This period lasted until 1450.

Renaissance 1450-1600 Harmony and counter-melodies really began to emerge during this time period. Also, the use of instrumental music grew, as well as accompanied music (as opposed to a capella chant). Some composers of the Renaisannce period include Johannes Ockeghem, Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina, and William Byrd

Baroque 1600-1750 Melody and harmony continued to develop. A major mark of this period was the addition of keyboard instruments such as the harpsichord and pipe organ. 1750 was the year of JS Bach’s death. A movement to return to the dramatic and musical forms of ancient Greece led to the beginnings of opera as we know it. Composers of the Baroque included Antonio Vivaldi, George Freiderich Handel, and Johann Sebastian Bach.

Classical 1750- 1820 The piano replaced the harpsichord as the primary keyboard instrument, and has remained that way. Woodwinds became a full section of the orchestra. Music became more multi-sectioned, with greater distinction between the sections, as opposed to the smooth transitions of the baroque period. Symphonies and operas took on greater depth and length. Some of the most notable composers of this time period were Jospeh Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven. Classical also is used as the wider term to encompass all music that was more formal and not “folk” music.

Romantic 1820-1910 Probably the greatest thing about the Romantic period is the development of schools and institutions for teaching music. Composers of this period sought to bring greater emotion to the music, and diversity through differences of style within a single performance. Secular and religious music were completely separated by this time. Some composers of this period were Frederic Chopin,Richard Wagner, Johannes Brahms, and Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky. (This was a hard list to narrow down!)

Impressionist 1910-1920 This was a short period, mainly contained to French composers who were trying to differentiate their music from the German style that had become typical of symphonies. Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel are the most well known from this period.

Modern – Contemporary -NeoClassical All three of these refer to music written in the 20th century. Modern and Contemporary tend to stray away from the “Classical” music of earlier times. Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss are credited with bringing about the modernistic movement in music. NeoClassical (meaning “new classical”) stays more to the styles already created, particularly harking back to the 18th century music. Igor Stravinsky and Aaron Copland fall into this category.

And the list of Classical composers will continue to grow as time goes by, and men and women have musical vision. Some composers to be on the lookout for are Tan Dun, John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, and Danny Elfman.