The Classical era, roughly 1750 to 1820, initiated a decisive shift toward the clear, balanced and natural elegance in music that we know as Classicism — a reaction against the ornate complexity of Baroque. Composers aimed for an accessible but good ideal of beauty, with melodies… The Classical Period: Balance and Clarity, The Enlightenment of Form

The Baroque era, between about 1600 and 1750, was a time of the most startling transformation in music’s priorities as composers drove to manipulate the emotions and shock the senses. Flourishing in Italy at the same time as rich visual arts, a new style of theatre… Drama, contrast and the birth of emotional intensity: The Baroque period

During a time known as the Renaissance, approximately between 1400 and 1600AD, music experienced a dramatic transformation from medieval to renaissance style. Composers turned to the human voice as the core of their art, shaping polyphony that was smoother and more consonant than the complex lines… The Renaissance: Harmony, Humour and the Sound of Redemption

The history of Western music truly begins in the darkened recesses of medieval monastic buildings, where voices joined together to form a collective embodiment of faith and wonder. Gregorian chant, attributed to the pope of that name but probably assembled over centuries, is the oldest music we… The Rise of Western Music: From Gregorian Chant to Polyphony