Styles I - Composer ID’s

Hildegard of Bingen (ca. 1098–1179)

Took rows at the Benedictine monastery of Disibodenberg in the year 1112, and eventually became famous for her prophecies. Her music is somewhat for the time in form and function.

Guillaume de Machaut (ca. 1300–1377)

The foremost composer-poet of the 14th century, Machaut shaped the Ars Nova style. His Messe de Nostre Dame is the first known complete Mass by one composer. With isorhythm, hocket, and intricate textures, Machaut blended lyricism and formal control in sacred and secular works alike.

John Dunstable (ca. 1390–1453)

 The famous well-respected English composer of the fifteenth, he was a mathematician and an astronomer as well.

Guillaume Du Fay (ca. 1397–1474)

A leading composer of the early Renaissance, Du Fay blended sacred and secular styles. His Missa Se la face ay pale integrates a secular tune as cantus firmus with Renaissance clarity. Known for innovation and international influence, Du Fay bridged medieval structures with emerging Renaissance sonorities.

Josquin des Prez (ca. 1450–1521)

Extremely popular and well-known during his lifetime, his influence is hard to overestimate. He worked in Milan and Ferrara, as well as Notre Dame. His music often employs points of imitation and carefully depicts text.

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (ca. 1525–1594)

His music was used as a model for church music and strict contrapuntal style for centuries. He wrote more masses than any other composer, and legend credits him with saving polyphony from being banned by the Council of Trent. 

This composer was celebrated as creating polyphonic church music in Latin, where the text could be understood

Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643)

A pivotal figure bridging Renaissance and Baroque, Monteverdi revolutionized opera with emotional depth. In Tu se’ morta from L’Orfeo, he employs expressive recitative and bold dissonance. Monteverdi’s dramatic text setting and basso continuo established new standards for vocal expressivity and operatic storytelling.

Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687)

Court composer to Louis XIV, Lully shaped French Baroque style. His overture to Armide features majestic dotted rhythms and contrapuntal brilliance. A master of theatrical grandeur, Lully’s works defined French opera and established the French overture as a ceremonial hallmark of royal and dramatic music.

Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713)

A foundational Baroque composer, Corelli developed the trio sonata with elegant counterpoint and harmonic clarity. His Trio Sonata in D Major, Op. 3 No. 2: Grave features lyrical violins and expressive continuo. Corelli’s influence extended across Europe, shaping instrumental style and violin technique for generations.