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Music has been part of human life for a very long time.

Archaeologists have found musical instruments made from animal bones that are 60,000 years old.

The history of Western European music can be divided into separate periods of time.

Each period has its:

• own musical styles
• new instruments
• composers

It's important to remember that periods of music did overlap. Often a period of music was influenced by what came before.

Medieval music refers to a period between AD800 and AD1400.

Much of the music created during this time was for religious purposes.

The music would have just one melody that was sung, often to Latin words.

Moving forward through time we arrive at the Renaissance period of music. It lasted from around 1400 to 1600. It was a time of great exploration in music.

Composers started writing music that was to be enjoyed away from religious settings, such as music to be danced to.

This was called secular music.

Composers started making music for instruments such as the harpsichord, the viol and the lute.

Choral music was still very popular too, with voices often imitating one another. This means, where one voice immediately copies another.

One of the most important developments in the Renaissance period was music notation.

The Baroque period was between 1600 and 1750. Music in this period started to become more complicated.

The idea of an orchestra was born, with large groups of instruments being separated into families or sections and then playing together.

Other styles of music such as opera and concertos were also created.

Bach, Handel and Vivaldi are some of the most famous composers from this period in music history.

The Classical period covers music composed between 1750 and 1820. It includes some incredible composers such as Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.

One of the big developments in instruments during the Classical period, was that the harpsichord was replaced with the piano, or fortepiano as it was originally known.

Orchestras grew bigger and more powerful.

A type of music called a symphony became popular. This is a long piece of music for an orchestra split into four sections called movements.

In the Romantic period, composers started to look for more freedom, drama and expression in the music they created. Music of this period was composed roughly between 1780 and 1910.

Passion ran high in this era, with composers often sharing their deepest thoughts and feelings in their music.

You'll find lots of beautiful melodies and intense harmonies.

Composers continued to experiment.

Orchestras grew bigger than ever before and new combinations of instruments were put together to create interesting new sounds.

Some of the most famous composers of this time include Chopin, Brahms and Tchaikovsky.

Many different styles of music were formed during the 20th Century. There was no single dominant style. Developments in transport meant people could move around, connect and share ideas more freely.

This meant composers were influenced by:

• politics
• religion
• art
• music from other cultures.

There were huge developments in technology, which meant new musical instruments.

All this led to fascinating new styles, techniques and new sounds being created, making the 20th century one of the most exciting periods in the history of music.

You can explore the history of Western Classical music further with this series from 91�ȱ� Teach.