People to know

Question 1

Pythagorus

Answer 1

• Greek philosopher & mathematician
• Viewed music as the language of the divine
• Discovered a series of mathematical ratios which govern the principles of music

Question 2

Hildegard von Bingen

Answer 2

• one of teh foremost minds in writing, composing, science, and philosopher
• wrote many texts of “questioning nature”

Question 3

Perotin

Answer 3

• The first to write complex polyphony

- Masterfully combined up to three or four voices

Question 4

Josquin des Prez

Answer 4

• One of the first musical celebrities

- Wrote both sacred and secular music

Question 5

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Answer 5

• Much of his was written to serve as “proof” that music could be both beautiful and tasteful in church
• Used almost entirely homophony in his writing

Question 6

Bach

Answer 6

• A German composer under the patronage of the church
• Renowned for his harpsichord and organ skills
• Respected during life but popular only after death

Question 7

Ludwig Van Beethoven

Answer 7

• One of the “kings” of instrumental music
• Fundamental to the transition between classical and romantic music
• Piano virtuoso who lived in Mozart’s shadow
• Fairly hard life

Question 8

Franz Joseph Haydn

Answer 8

Father of the symphony