early music

Music composed in previous periods. The meaning of the term has changed over the years: originally it referred to Western music composed from the early Middle Ages to the Renaissance. As the authenticity movement grew during the mid-20th century it came to include music of the baroque period as well. Today early music has no precise limit, but it is generally accepted to include music as late as the early 19th century. The journal Early Music, established in 1973, focuses on performance practice and other musicological issues concerning music prior to the Romantic period.