The Middle Ages paved the way for musical creation. Music in the beginning was simple in its form, simple in melody and harmonies, or a combination of musical sounds played at the same time. The first form of music was Gregorian chant. It was very simple in nature. The song was a single voice, a melody without the accompaniment of instruments. Later, during the Renaissance, major changes in music were greatly influenced by aspects of religious, political events, and economic factors in Europe. The biggest musical advance was the move to a polyphonic sound. Polyphonic means multiple simultaneous melodies primarily in Latin, used during religious services. As the period progressed, polyphonic or multivocal music grew in complexity. During this period many musical instruments were integrated, offering complexity to the sound. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Medieval life and culture were full of barbaric treatment and superstitious beliefs. People were ignorant. If your beliefs differed from those in power, punishments were unfair and harsh. Even the ignorant were concerned with their health beliefs. The results of the illness were left in the hands of God. If a doctor happened to cure an illness, he did so by bloodletting. The idea behind it was to make a cut and let the toxic blood flow out. But the person ended up losing too much blood and causing the side effects of severe anemia or, even worse, death as a frequent consequence. Even for children, education was not important. Families worked long, hard days for minimal earnings just to help feed the family. Children often ended up dying from illnesses or accidents at work. The few lucky people of the Middle Ages were held in high regard at court. They were kings and queens. They had servants and maids. They used the less fortunate as entertainment or poor women for sexual desires, and when they were done with them, they sent them away. Towards the end of the period the culture began to evolve for the better due to influences from trade with outside communities. Yet the Church was hurt by it. They didn't like influences that drew people away from church belief systems. While the Renaissance or “rebirth” period flourished on intellectual knowledge. Starting from Italy, it used the influences of art, religion, science, philosophy and literature to grow. Overall they rebelled against the learning of the Middle Ages and transformed their educational process. Scholars base learning on humanist beliefs. They focused on realism and real human emotions. People studied poetry, ethical issues, and the use of grammar. The church has also changed its approach to religion as an intellectual one. Art and science together have made many strides. Many great contributions in this period concern biology, human anatomy, physics, and astronomy. The music evolved with choirs of singers. The new interest in music spread to European countries. Music schools began in Rome and also in England. Overall the Renaissance period was a much better time to live in than the medieval period. Opera is serious business. The plots are based on mythology or historical events. They had extravagant sets and costumes. They were a showcase for singers. They had a starring role with the participation of other singers. Acting or dance/ballet may be involved. The setting was an opera house. The well-known composer.