Classical music has changed enormously since its beginnings in the medieval era, from single lines of plainchant to the huge orchestras of the Romantics and the experiments of the 20th century.
This timeline walks through the six main eras in order, with the key composers of each and the work each is best known for. Some composers span two eras, so they are placed where most of their music sits.
The short version
Western classical music is usually divided into six eras: Medieval (c. 500–1400), Renaissance (1400–1600), Baroque (1600–1750), Classical (1750–1820), Romantic (1820–1900) and the 20th century onwards.
1. Medieval era
c. 500–1400
10 composers
The medieval period is the longest era in Western classical music, running from around 500 to 1400. Historians usually split it into early, high and late medieval periods.
Most surviving music is sacred and monophonic, a single melody line with no harmony, as in Gregorian chant. Polyphony, where several independent lines sound together, grew in the later centuries, led by composers of the Notre Dame school in Paris.
Stephen of Liège (850–920): Made significant contributions to the liturgical and musical traditions of the church, including the compilation of chant manuscripts.
Fulbert of Chartres (c. 960–1028): Composed hymns and chants that enriched the liturgical music of his time.
Peter Abelard (1079–1142): Composed hymns and liturgical music that influenced medieval musical traditions.
Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179): Created many original and expressive pieces of sacred music that are still celebrated today.
Léonin (c. 1155–1200): Known for developing polyphonic music, particularly through his work on the Magnus Liber Organi.
Pérotin (1160–1238): Advanced the development of polyphonic music by creating intricate and innovative compositions for the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Adam de la Halle (c. 1250–c. 1306): Famous for creating one of the earliest French operas, Le Jeu de Robin et Marion.
Philippe de Vitry (1291–1361): Developed the Ars Nova style, which transformed rhythmic notation in music.
Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300–1377): Known for writing the Messe de Nostre Dame, one of the earliest complete settings of the Mass by a single composer.
Francesco Landini (c. 1335–1397): Known for his and complex ballate, which were among the most popular forms of music in 14th-century Italy.
2. Renaissance era
1400–1600
20 composers
The Renaissance ran from around 1400 to 1600. Polyphony became richer and smoother, with each voice treated as an equal, and printing meant music could travel across Europe for the first time.
Composers wrote masses and motets for the church alongside madrigals, chansons and dance music for courts and homes, and instrumental music for the lute and keyboard grew in importance.
Guillaume Dufay (1397–1474): Known for his sacred and secular styles, as well as the motet Nuper rosarum flores.
Johannes Ockeghem (c. 1410–1497): Known for his polyphonic compositions, especially the Missa Prolationum.
Alexander Agricola (c. 1446–1506): A key figure in the Habsburg musical establishment.
Josquin Des Prez (c. 1450–1521): Had a great influence on polyphonic vocal music, including masses and motets.
Jean Mouton (1459–1522): Best known for his complex motets and masses.
Pierre de la Rue (c. 1452–1518): Best known for his polyphonic mass Missa L'Homme Armé.
Robert Fayrfax (1464–1521): Known for his exceptional choral works, particularly the mass Missa O quam glorifica.
Francisco de Peñalosa (c. 1470–1528): Known for his intricate polyphonic works, particularly the motet O sacrum convivium.
Robert Carver (c. 1490–c. 1547): Most famous for his elaborate choral works, especially the mass Missa Dum sacrum mysterium.
Clément Janequin (c. 1485–1558): Best known for his innovative and descriptive chanson La guerre (The Battle).
Francesco Canova da Milano (1497–1543): Known for his expressive lute compositions, particularly Fantasia no. 33.
Thomas Tallis (c. 1505–1585): Best known for his choral work Spem in alium, a 40-part motet.
Jacques Arcadelt (c. 1504–1568): Famous for his widely performed madrigal Il bianco e dolce cigno.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594): Known for the Missa Papae Marcelli (Pope Marcellus Mass).
Francisco Guerrero (1528–1599): Known for his sacred music, particularly the Missa de Beata Virgine.
Orlando di Lasso (1532–1594): Best known for his motets, notably Tristis est anima mea.
Francisco Soto de Langa (1534–1619): Best known for his sacred villancicos, particularly the famous "Riu, riu, chiu."
Gioseffo Guami (1542–1611): Known for his madrigals and instrumental canzonas, particularly the Canzone La Lucchesina.
William Byrd (1539–1623): Became famous for his sacred music, especially the Ave Verum Corpus.
François-Eustache Du Caurroy (1549–1609): Contributed to the era's sacred music, particularly his motet Miserere mei Deus.
3. Baroque era
1600–1750
20 composers
The Baroque era ran from around 1600 to 1750. Music became more dramatic, with strong contrasts of loud and soft, elaborate ornamentation and the basso continuo, a bass line with chords filled in above it.
It saw the birth of opera, the oratorio, the concerto and the sonata. Several composers here straddle the end of the Renaissance and the start of the Baroque.
Hieronymus Praetorius (1560–1629): An organist famous for his polyphonic choral works, especially his "Magnificat" settings.
John Dowland (1563–1626): Best known for his melancholy lute songs, particularly "Flow, My Tears."
Manuel Cardoso (1566–1650): Well known for his sacred music, especially his "Requiem."
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (1567–1643): Played a crucial role in the transition from Renaissance to Baroque music, especially known for his innovative opera L'Orfeo.
Thomas Simpson (1582–c. 1628): Known for his instrumental music, especially his collection of dance pieces in The Monthes.
Petronio Franceschini (1651–1681): Known for his Sonata in D, which showcases the expressive qualities of Baroque music.
Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713): Famous for his Concerto Grossi, which set the standard for the concerto form.
Henry Purcell (c. 1659–1695): Known for his opera Dido and Aeneas, which is celebrated as one of the greatest works of Baroque music.
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660–1725): Developed the opera seria genre, particularly exemplified in his opera Griselda.
Tomaso Albinoni (1671–1751): Best known for his Adagio in G Minor.
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678–1741): Famous for his violin concertos, especially The Four Seasons.
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767): Known for his prolific output and his influential Tafelmusik suites.
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764): Best known for the opera Hippolyte et Aricie, which established him as a leading figure in French Baroque opera.
Giuseppe Matteo Alberti (1685–1751): Known for his violin concertos, particularly the Concerto in D Major.
George Frideric Handel (1685–1759): Famous for his oratorio Messiah, which includes the equally celebrated "Hallelujah" chorus.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): Known for his the Brandenburg Concertos.
Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757): A keyboard virtuoso known for his sonatas.
Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688–1758): Known for his intricate orchestral suites.
Jean Jacques-Christophe Naudot (c. 1690–1762): Best known for his virtuosic flute concertos.
Johann Adolph Hasse (1699–1783): Known for his operas, particularly "Cleofide," which exemplify the expressiveness of the Opera seria style.
4. Classical era
1750–1820
20 composers
The Classical era ran from around 1750 to 1820. After the complexity of the late Baroque, composers favored clear melodies, balanced phrases and simpler textures, and the symphony, string quartet and sonata form took shape.
The piano, invented around 1700, became the leading keyboard instrument. Some composers listed here bridge the Baroque and Classical styles, and the later ones, such as Schubert and Rossini, are often counted as early Romantics.
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710–1784): The eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach and famed for his inventive keyboard music, particularly his Fantasias.
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–1788): The second son of Johann Sebastian Bach and known for his influential keyboard works, especially his Sonatas.
Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck (1714–1787): Helped revitalize the opera genre with his Orfeo ed Euridice.
Johann Georg Leopold Mozart (1719–1787): Known for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule, which shaped violin teaching for generations.
Johann Ernst Bach II (1722–1777): Known for his church music, particularly his cantatas.
Johann Gottlieb Goldberg (1727–1756): A harpsichordist whose name is attached to Bach’s Goldberg Variations, which, the story goes, he played for his patron Count Keyserlingk.
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809): Developed the symphony and string quartet, particularly through works like the London Symphonies.
Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (1732–1795): His symphonies and chamber music bridged the Baroque and Classical styles.
Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782): Had a major influence on the classical style and operas, particularly Artaserse.
Antonio Salieri (1750–1825): Known for his operas and for being a prominent musical figure in Vienna during his time.
Muzio Clementi (1752–1832): Called the Father of the Pianoforte and celebrated for his piano sonatas.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791): A prodigy famed for his numerous symphonies, operas, and concertos, such as The Magic Flute and Eine kleine Nachtmusik.
Franz Xaver Sussmayr (1766–1803): He completed Mozart's unfinished Requiem.
Bedřich Diviš Weber (1766–1842): Served as the first director of the Prague Conservatory.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827): Bridged the Classical and Romantic eras and was famed for his nine symphonies, particularly Symphony no. 9.
Niccolo Paganini (1782–1840): A virtuosic violinist best known for his 24 Caprices.
Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826): Established German Romantic opera with Der Freischütz.
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (1792–1868): Also famed for his operas, especially The Barber of Seville and William Tell.
Franz Peter Schubert (1797–1828): Made a significant impact with his lieder (art songs) and his "Unfinished Symphony."
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (1797–1848): Contributed greatly to the opera genre with works like Lucia di Lammermoor and L'elisir d'amore.
5. Romantic era
1820–1900
36 composers
The Romantic era ran from around 1820 to 1900. Composers used music to express intense personal feeling, with wider dynamics, richer harmony and bigger orchestras.
New forms included the tone poem, the art song cycle, the nocturne and the rhapsody, and nationalism led many composers to draw on the folk music of their own countries. Several here, such as Rachmaninoff and Vaughan Williams, wrote much of their music in the 20th century.
Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835): Greatly influenced the bel canto opera style.
Louis-Hector Berlioz (1803–1869): Known for his orchestral work "Symphonie fantastique."
Johann Strauss I (1804–1849): Popularized the waltz with pieces like the "Radetzky March."
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847): Contributed significantly to the Romantic era with pieces like the "Overture to a Midsummer Night's Dream."
Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849): Revolutionized piano music with his nocturnes and etudes.
Robert Alexander Schumann (1810–1856): Known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, his songs and his piano music.
Franz Liszt (1811–1886): Transformed piano performance with his compositions and the development of the symphonic poem.
Wilhelm Richard Wagner (1813–1883): Redefined opera with his epic "Ring Cycle" and the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk (total artwork).
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (1813–1901): Dominated the opera scene with masterpieces like La Traviata and Aida.
Charles-François Gounod (1818–1893): Famous for his operas, particularly Faust, and his religious music like "Ave Maria."
Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880): Significantly shaped the operetta genre with his work Orpheus in the Underworld.
Clara Josephine Wieck Schumann (1819–1896): Elevated the role of the piano in Romantic music with her exceptional performances and compositions.
César Franck (1822–1890): Contributed significantly to French music with his symphonic Symphony in D Minor.
Josef Anton Bruckner (1824–1896): Influenced symphonic music with his grand and complex symphonies, particularly his Symphony no. 7.
Johann Strauss II (1825–1899): Became famous for his waltzes, including "The Blue Danube."
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897): Enriched the Romantic repertoire with his Hungarian Dances and Symphony no. 1.
Eduard Strauss (1835–1916): Continued the family tradition of composing Viennese waltzes and polkas, such as "Bahn Frei!"
Georges Bizet (1838–1875): Contributed to the opera genre, notably Carmen.
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839–1881): Contributed greatly to Russian music with his opera Boris Godunov and the suite Pictures at an Exhibition.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893): Achieved worldwide fame with his ballets, like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.
Antonín Dvorak (1841–1904): Known for his New World Symphony, which drew on European classical traditions and American folk music.
Jules Massenet (1842–1912): Made a major impact on opera with his work Manon.
Edvard Hagerup Grieg (1843–1907): Famous for his Peer Gynt suite, which includes the piece "In the Hall of the Mountain King."
Gabriel-Urbain Fauré (1845–1924): Known for his "Requiem."
Sir Edward William Elgar (1857–1934): Best known for his Enigma Variations and the Pomp and Circumstance marches.
Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924): Achieved great fame with operas like La Bohème and Tosca.
Gustav Mahler (1860–1911): Known for his expansive symphonies, such as Symphony no. 5.
Achille-Claude Debussy (1862–1918): Known for his impressionist music, particularly the piece "Clair de Lune."
Richard Strauss (1864–1949): Made a significant contribution to orchestral music with his tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra.
Jean Sibelius (1865–1957): Most famous for his symphonic poem Finlandia, which became a symbol of Finnish nationalism.
Erik Satie (1866–1925): Known for his unique and minimalist piano pieces, particularly the Gymnopédies.
Siegfried Wagner (1869–1930): Followed in his father Richard Wagner's footsteps with works like the opera Der Bärenhäuter.
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin (1872–1915): Transformed classical music with his mystical compositions, particularly through Piano Sonata no. 5.
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958): Known for his orchestral work The Lark Ascending.
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff (1873–1943): Known for his Piano Concerto no. 2, a staple of the piano repertoire.
Gustav Theodore Holst (1874–1934): Famous for his orchestral suite The Planets, particularly the movement "Mars, the Bringer of War."
6. 20th century and beyond
From 1900
29 composers
From around 1900, composers broke away from the conventions of earlier eras in many different directions: atonality and the twelve-tone method, neoclassicism, folk-inspired modernism, electronic music and minimalism.
There is no single style for this period, which makes it the most varied of all. It also includes composers who kept writing in a more traditional, tonal language.
Arnold Franz Walter Schoenberg (1874–1951): Revolutionized music with his development of the twelve-tone technique.
Charles Edward Ives (1874–1954): Broke new ground with his innovative use of dissonance and polytonality.
Joseph Maurice Ravel (1875–1937): Known for his orchestration, demonstrated in his piece Boléro.
Béla Bartók (1881–1945): Integrated folk music elements into classical compositions, as epitomized by his Concerto for Orchestra.
Artur Schnabel (1882–1951): A pianist and composer, best known for making the first complete recording of Beethoven’s piano sonatas.
Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971): His work The Rite of Spring redefined the possibilities of rhythm and dissonance in music.
Zóltan Kodály (1882–1967): Made major contributions to music education and created influential works like Háry János Suite.
Anton Webern (1883–1945): Advanced the twelve-tone technique with his highly structured pieces, such as Five Pieces for Orchestra.
Alban Berg (1885–1935): Merged late Romanticism with modernist techniques.
Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953): Noted for his vibrant and dynamic works, especially the ballet Romeo and Juliet.
George Gershwin (1898–1937): Fused classical music with jazz, creating iconic pieces like Rhapsody in Blue.
Francis Poulenc (1899–1963): Known for the choral piece "Gloria," among others.
Maurice Durufle (1902–1986): Known for his "Requiem."
Sir Lennox Berkeley (1903–1989): Contributed to 20th-century music with his Symphony no. 1.
Eduard Tubin (1905–1982): Noted for his symphonies and ballet music, especially Kratt.
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975): Created significant works under Soviet pressure, notably his Symphony no. 5.
Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992): Known for his spiritual and innovative music, especially the Turangalîla-Symphonie.
Samuel Barber (1910–1981): Remembered for his emotionally powerful Adagio for Strings.
William Howard Schuman (1910–1992): Made substantial contributions to modern music, particularly with his Symphony no. 3.
Gian Carlo Menotti (1911–2007): Achieved fame with his opera Amahl and the Night Visitors.
Jean Françaix (1912–1997): Known for his light-hearted and witty compositions, particularly the Divertissement.
Benjamin Britten (1913–1976): Greatly influenced 20th-century music, particularly through his opera Peter Grimes.
Bernd Alois Zimmermann (1918–1970): Known for his complex and diverse works, especially the opera Die Soldaten.
Ernest Tomlinson (1924–2015): Known for his light orchestral music, notably the Suite of English Folk Dances.
Peter Lamb (1925–2013): Known for his chamber music for wind instruments, such as his Sonatina for Flute and Piano.
Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928–2007): A pioneer in electronic music, with significant works like Gesang der Jünglinge.
William Mathias (1934–1992): Known for his choral and orchestral works, particularly Ave Rex.
Arvo Pärt (born 1935): Known for his minimalist and spiritual compositions, especially Spiegel im Spiegel.
John Rutter (born 1945): Known for his choral music, with popular pieces like "Requiem."
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Summing up
Following the composers in order shows how each era grew out of the last, from the first experiments with polyphony to opera, the symphony and beyond. Listening to one work from each era is one of the quickest ways to hear how much the music changed.
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