Early

Early music is European classical music before the Classical music era and after Ancient music. The c

Early music is European classical music before the Classical music era and after Ancient music. The common range given is from the end of Ancient music to the beginning of the Baroque era in about 1600, and so roughly corresponds with the European Middle Ages period.

The term "early music" is closely associated with the concept of authentic performance. The authentic performance movement began with the performance of early music, and in general, the earlier the music, the more likely it is that its performers will show an interest in authentic performance as it becomes more difficult for the reason listed below and others.