medieval music

Medieval music spans roughly a thousand years of Western music, from the fall of Rome to the Renaissance—approximately 500 to 1400 CE.

The term covers sacred music like Gregorian chant, courtly songs of troubadours, and early polyphony where multiple vocal lines interweave.

Medieval music is characterized by modes rather than modern major and minor keys, limited instrumental accompaniment, and monophonic or simple polyphonic textures: The ensemble specializes in medieval music performed on period instruments.