60,000 BCE-500 CE : introduction and timeline
Man, the music maker : early humans pass on history and legends through music
Music's cradle : musicians entertain courts and honor gods in Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China
A philosophical view : for Greek philosophers, music and math hold the key to understanding the universe
Myth and tragedy : tragic choruses sing and musicians play at ancient Greek music and drama competitions
Sound the trumpet : music rallies the Roman troops, enlivens dinners and plays, and is played at ceremonies
2. Music in the Middle Ages
500-1400 : introduction and timeline
Sacred chant : chants, modes, and early notation develop in Europe's cathedrals and monasteries
Minstrels and troubadours : street entertainers and courtly musicians sing songs of unrequited love and political satire
Writing melody : to help monks remember chant melodies, Guido of Arezzo invents the four-line stave
Zither and lyre, sackbut and shawm : in medieval society, music accompanies dancing, banquets, and mystery plays
Islamic music : diverse musical traditions develop across China, Africa, Spain, and the Middle East
Music in ancient China : from military exercises and state functions to temples and teahouses, music plays a key role
Many voices : accurate musical notation paves the way for richly layered, complex music for many parts
3. Renaissance and Reformation
1400-1600 : introduction and timeline
Songs of love : the new polyphonic style influences regional song traditions in France, Germany, and Italy
Music goes to print : new printing techniques make sheet music widely available, encouraging amateur players
The rise of instrumental music : printing leads to a demand for anew pieces, and more complex compositions emerge
Church reform : congregations begin to sing in their own language, rather than silently listening to mass in Latin
Giovanni Pierluigi Da Palestrina
The lute's golden age : in the 16th century, the lute becomes popular for solos and for accompanying singers
The madrigal : Italian sonnets of love and loss are taken up by composers, who set the emotions to music
An Iberian flowering : sacred music flourishes in Spain and its colonies as diverse influences come together
Venetian glories : new styles emerge as composers rush to supply music for Venice's many civic occasions
1600-1750 : introduction and timeline
The Baroque style : an exuberant, expressive new style emerges
The birth of opera : intellectuals and musicians in Florence merge stories from mythology and history with music, laying the foundations for opera
Oratorios and cantatas : new song styles emerge in Italy, oratorios, Biblical stories spun into sung dramas, and dramatic secular songs called cantatas
Patrons and composers : Europe's monarchs and aristocratic families support the arts on a lavish scale
The English revival : music, suppressed under Oliver Cromwell, revives under King Charles II, and choirs and opera flourish
Counterpoint and fugue : composers combine strands of music into a complex, harmonious whole
Sonatas, suites, and overtures : instrumental music grows in popularity, and new forms develop for small ensembles
Keyboard maestros : as keyboard instruments evolve, composers write more technically demanding pieces
Japanese theater : instrumentalists and choirs accompany the actors or puppets in stage performances
1750-1820 : introduction and timeline
A new clarity : composers begin to favor clear and balanced phrases over baroque complexity
The orchestra : the Duke of Mannheim has ambitions to found the greatest orchestra in Europe, famed for its technique and special effects
The sonata : the new music-loving middle-class enjoys elegant works for soloist and keyboard
The symphony : the innovations of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert transform the symphony
Playing music among friends : chamber music is a treasured pastime in Austrian homes and spreads across Europe
Age of reason : enlightened principles of logic, structure, and clarity inspire a new style of composition
Opera comes alive : composers attempt to humanize opera, leaving old formalities behind and focusing on the drama of individual characters' emotions
Choral music : choirs being to sing in concert halls as well as in church services ; composers discover the dramatic potential of sacred texts
The concerto : the pairing of soloist and orchestra develop into a popular and enduring format
Bohemian rhapsody : in the 18th and 19th centuries, Prague becomes a hub of musical activity.
6. Nationalism and romance
1820-1910 : introduction and timeline
Beethoven's later works Beethoven writes works of restless passion
Age of song : composers set poems to music, enhancing the lyrics with evocative harmonies and rhythms
Literary links : myth, legend, and literature inspire Romantic operas, songs, and program music
Expressive piano in Europe's salons, expressive and technically brilliant miniatures for piano are in vogue
The virtuosos : Paganini on violin and Liszt on piano dazzle audiences with their technique and style
Sacred choruses : large-scale choral works bring Romantic drama and intensity into sacred venues
Romantic opera : 19th-century Italian and German composers develop a highly expressive, dramatic style
Women composers and performers : as social conventions shift, women begin to perform in public an publish their works
Music in the home : in well-to-do drawing rooms, families play chamber music and sing "parlor songs"
The Viennese waltz : an elegant dance that emerges in Austria's ballrooms, the waltz takes Europe by storm
National stirrings : composers seek inspiration and authenticity in their native landscapes and folk songs
Flamenco : Spain's passionate music for voice, guitar, and dancer develop out of Romany culture
Russia's big five : Balakirev, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui, and Mussorgsky give new life to Russian music
folk culture, mythology, and striking Nordic landscapes inspire Scandinavian composers
Ballet music : from interludes in operas, ballet develops into a full-fledged genre with original scores
New tones and timbers : woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments are transformed by musicians and inventors
Symphonic supremacy : for Brahms, Dvorak, and Mahler, symphonies are and ideal format for developing big ideas
A lighter touch : full of dancing, choruses, and witty dialogue, operettas are lighthearted entertainment for cosmopolitan audiences
Italian opera gets real : a "young school" of Italian opera composers write realistic plots of hardship and passion
Chinese traditional opera : performers retell stories from myth and legend through singing, acting, and martial arts
Marching to the beat : military bands accompany marches and parades, and also sell out concert halls
Impressionism :as in visual art, musical compositions begin to evoke and suggest using new harmonies
7. Music in the Modern Age
1910-1945 : introduction and timeline
The shock of the new : familiar tonality is left behind as composers experiment with modernist techniques
National flavors : amid political upheaval, composers from the US to Europe return to their folk heritages
Spanish classical music : the distinctive music of de Falla, Rodrigo, and Segovia create a new Spanish classical scene
Music of Mexico : Mexico's music absorbs disparate influences ; song lyrics often deal with gritty reality
The last romantics : Rachmaninov, Strauss, and Delius bring a Romantic sensibility into the age of modernity
Ragtime : African Americans introduce syncopation and new rhythms to European dance tunes
Country's roots : through recordings, the Grand Ole Opry radio show, and Westerns, country music takes off
Tin Pan Alley : songwriters flock to New York, where they churn out popular songs by the hundreds
Beginnings of jazz : jazz is born in New Orleans from African rhythms, brass bands, and popular dance music
Birth of the blues : in the juke joints of the Deep South, laborers listen to songs of raw, personal experience
Let's swing : a new, danceable form of big-band jazz becomes wildly popular in the 1930s and '40s
Jazz goes bebop : in New York, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillepsie develop an innovative new jazz
Latin beats : slaves brought to Cuba add African rhythms to the local music ; Mambo, rumba, and salsa soon become all the rage
Let's tango : touring bands and radio broadcasts bring the Argentinian tango to Europe and the United States
Come to the cabaret : in the cafés and nightclubs of 1920s Berlin, dancers, singers, and comedians perform subversive and sexually charged shows
Golden age of radio : radio shows brought music to homes across the United States, making stars of musicians.
1945-present : introduction and timeline
Experimental music : in a shaken, postwar world, Stockhausen, Boulez, and Cage seek a new framework
Modern chanson : a unique song tradition emerges in 20th-century Paris, championed by Charles Trenet and Edith Piaf
The German revival : in the aftermath of war, composers turn in new directions to reinvent German culture ; avant-garde music flourishes in Darmstadt
Romany music : once marginalized, Romany music is widely admired for its emotional range and energy
Brazilian beats : from Brazil's vibrant music and dance culture comes samba and, in the 1950s, bossa nova
Jazz goes Latin : American jazz musicians adopt Cuba's slow habanera rhythm, and a new genre is born
Operatic rebirth : Benjamin Britten in England and John Adams in the United States found a modern opera tradition
Early musical theater : hit musicals by rogers and Hammerstein feed a Broadway craze in the 1940s and '50s
Smooth operators : the microphone facilitates the soft, crooning style of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra
Music for screen : Hollywood directors begin hiring composers to write original movie scores
Hollywood musicals : after World War I and the post-Depression, musicals provide escapism with singing, dancing, comedy, and romance
One voice : the gap between gospel and soul narrows, and singers raise their voices for civil rights
The music of Indonesia : Indonesia is home to the gamelan orchestra; different styles evolve in Bali and Java
Island music : over the years, Hawaii's music absorbs elements from hymns, yodeling, and ragtime
Celtic music : traditional music from parts of Britain, Ireland, France, and Spain is revisited and reinvented
Longing for Fado : rooted in Lisbon, Portugal's poetic folk music sings of melancholy, longing, and urban life
Bright lights, big city blues : African American musicians flock to Chicago, where electric guitars and recording transform the blues of the South
Rhythm and blues : in the 1940s and '50s, African American artists dominate the US market with a new style of music
Plugged-in for sound : when guitars and keyboards go electric, a new sound and style is born, rock 'n' roll
Rock 'n' roll models : Elvis Presley, buddy Holly, and Eddie Cochran have explosive appeal for teenage audiences
Leaders of the pack : New York's Brill Building houses dozens of songwriters, who define the era's pop sound
The sounds of soul : impassioned, personal, and political, soul singers make the move from church to charts
Protest music : in the United States and Europe, musicians such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Mercedes Sosa respond to political upheaval through song
Beatlemania : four young band mates from Liverpool take the work by storm in the 1960s, a string of self-written hits
Blues rock : in Britain, the blues is enthusiastically taken up by the Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac
Heavy rock : Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, and Kiss amp up the sound
Jazz fusion : while some jazz musicians go electric, many rock, R & B, and pop musicians adopt jazz styles
Electronic rock : in the 1970s, rock bands start to experiment with synthesizers and electronic effects
Ragas and talas : voice, drums, and sitar play hypnotic rhythms and elaborate melodies in Indian music
Music festivals : from Woodstock to Glastonbury, festivals become a rite of passage for young fans
The Nashville sound : with stars such as Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, country becomes a top-selling genre
bass-heavy reggae emerges from Jamaica, and Bob Marley takes it global
Music goes pop : with catchy tunes and clever marketing, singers become megastars
Chart toppers : awards ceremonies, best-seller charts, and music television help to shape the charts
Disco inferno : djs learn new tricks to keep people moving to the up-tempo beats of 1970s disco
Punk explosion : loud and irreverent, the Ramones and the Sex Pistols challenge pop conventions
Alternative rock : a wave of young independent record labels springs up in the 1980s, revolutionizing rock
Musical revival : writers of musical theater look to pop and rock for inspiration, creating long-running hit shows
Japanese popular music : Japan's pop culture spans J-pop idols to vocaloids (animated singers)
African music : Musicians from all over the continent find new audiences with pan-African and Western fusions and political lyrics
Hip-hop : the rap music of African American ghettos of Los Angeles and New York becomes a global commercial force
Club culture : from electro to house, trance to dubstep, new sounds emerge in dance music
The Korean wave : South Korea's pop scene goes from strength to strength, fueled by artist agencies and government encouragement
New voices in classical : composers experiment with minimalism and avant-garde techniques
Digital revolution : digitization and the internet transform the way music is listened to, initiating a new relationship between musicians and fans