Medieval music refers to the sacred and secular music of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, from approximately the 6th to 15th centuries. It is the first and longest major era of Western classical music and followed by the Renaissance music. Medieval music can be divided into Early (500–1150), High (1000–1300), and Late (1300–1400) medieval music. Some features of medieval music include:
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Monophonic Music: The vast majority of medieval music was monophonic, meaning there was only a single melody line.
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Polyphonic Music: The development of polyphonic music (more than one melody line played at the same time) was a major shift towards the end of the era that laid the foundations for Renaissance styles of music.
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Gregorian Chant: Gregorian chant, consisting of a single line of vocal melody, unaccompanied in free rhythm, was one of the most common forms of medieval music.
Medieval music includes liturgical music used for the church, and secular music, non-religious music; solely vocal music, solely instrumental music, and music that uses both voices and instruments. However, much of the early medieval music is a mystery since many people of the period were illiterate, so music was passed on orally, rather than being written down.
