The Complete History of Music, Part 1

This class is for anyone who has wondered about the origins of music, how it came to be, and where it came from. 

If you've ever looked at a medieval instrument, and wondered how it was played, this course is for you. If you've ever watched an episode of Game of Thrones and wondered about the music, this class is for you. If you've ever wanted to learn how they come up with music for video games like Skyrim, Zelda (any of them), or anything else set in a medieval-esque world, this class is for you.

Topics Covered: 

• Music of Antiquity
• "Early" Music
• Music of Mesopotamia 
• Early music instruments: Harps and Lyres
• The origins of music notation
• Music in Ancient Greek culture
• Music in Greek philosophy
• Music in the early Christian church
• Gregorian Chant
• Sacred and Secular music
• Boethius
• Pathagoras
• Hexachords
• The Guidoian Hand
• Poetry in Music of the Medieval period
• Hildegard Von Bingen
• Versus
• Goliard Songs
• Minstrels
• Bards
• Troubadours
• Motets
• And much, much more!

Dr. Allen is a university music professor and is a top-rated online instructor. In 2017 Star Tribune Business featured him as a "Mover and a Shaker," and he is recognized by the Grammy Foundation for his music education classes. 

While a lot of history courses focus on memorization, this is a course for those interested in immersing themselves in the music and culture. You won't find lists of dates to memorize here - this class is designed to be fun and enjoyable.

This is the first part of a multiple-course series. 

In this course, we will focus the entire course on the Antiquity and Medieval Periods. 

By the end of this course, if you follow along, you will be ready to move on to the Renaissance period - coming in part 2!

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Praise for Courses by Jason Allen:

⇢  "It seems like every little detail is being covered in an extremely simple fashion. The learning process becomes relaxed and allows complex concepts to get absorbed easily. My only regret is not taking this course earlier." - M. Shah

⇢  "Great for everyone without any knowledge so far. I bought all three parts... It's the best investment in leveling up my skills so far.." - Z. Palce

⇢ "Excellent explanations! No more or less than what is needed." - A. Tóth

⇢ "VERY COOL. I've waited for years to see a good video course, now I don't have to wait anymore. Thank You!" - Jeffrey Koury

⇢  "I am learning LOTS! And I really like having the worksheets!" - A. Deichsel

⇢  "The basics explained very clearly - loads of really useful tips!" - J. Pook

⇢ "Jason is really quick and great with questions, always a great resource for an online class!" M. Smith

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Please download the attached worklist for documentation of all the pieces discussed in the course and youtube links.

Project: An Essay on Your Favorite Music

Pick a piece from the "Works Played In This Course" PDF (included), and write a short (1-page) essay about what appeals to you in. Factors to consider:

• The Harmony: Is harmony the most appealing thing?
• History: Is the history of the piece, and what was happening in the world at the time the thing that makes it moving?
• The Composer: Is the composer what appeals to you? What was happening in this composer's life when the piece was written? Is it an early work, middle work, or a late work for this composer?