Popular music; fusion of secular and ecclesiastical spirit; Paganism and Christianity; the epic--Folksong; early types in France, _complainte_, narrative song, dance song; Germany and the North; occupational songs--Vagrant musicians; jongleurs, minstrels; the love song--Troubadours and Trouvères; Adam de la Halle--The Minnesinger; the Meistersinger; influence on Reformation and Renaissance. PART III. THE POLYPHONIC PERIOD VIII. THE RISE OF THE NETHERLAND SCHOOLS 226 The Netherland style; the _Ars Nova_; Maschault and the Paris school; the papal ban on figured music--The Gallo-Belgian school; early English polyphony; John Dunstable; Dufay and Binchois; other Gallo-Belgians--Okeghem and his school--Josquin des Prés; merits of the Netherland Schools. IX. THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE 258 Spirit of the Renaissance--_Trovatori_ and _cantori a liuto_; The Florentine _Ars Nova_; Landino; _caccia_, _ballata_, _madrigal_--The fifteenth century; the Medici; Netherland influence; popular song forms--Adrian Willaert and the new madrigal--Orazio Vecchi and the dramatic madrigal. X. THE GOLDEN AGE OF POLYPHONY 284 Invention of music printing--The Reformation--The immediate successors of Josquin; Adrian Willaert and the Venetian school; Germany and England--Orlando di Lasso--Palestrina; his life--The Palestrina style; the culmination of vocal polyphony--Conclusion. PART IV. THE DEVELOPMENT OF HARMONY XI. THE BEGINNINGS OF OPERA AND ORATORIO 324 The forerunners of opera--The Florentine reform of 1600; the 'expressive’ style; Peri and Caccini; the first opera; Cavalieri and the origin of the oratorio--Claudio Monteverdi: his life and his works. XII. NEW FORMS: VOCAL AND INSTRUMENTAL 348 Résumé of the sixteenth century--Rhythm and form; the development of harmony; figured bass--The organ style; _canzona da sonar_; _ricercar_; _toccata_; _sonata da chiesa_; great organists--The genesis of violin music; _canzona_ and _sonata_--The _sonata da camera_; the suite--Music for the harpsichord--The opera in the seventeenth century; Heinrich Schütz. XIII. THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 388