14th c.

Ars Nova

Fourteenth-century French musicians described new approaches to rhythm and notation as an ars nova, distinguishing them from earlier practice. Guillaume de Machaut combined these possibilities with courtly poetry and sacred composition. This music circulated among courts and church institutions during a century marked by the Hundred Years’ War, plague, and religious conflict; older musical traditions continued alongside the new.

Musical terms

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Key musical characteristics

Greater rhythmic independence and complexity
Secular polyphonic song expanded
Isorhythmic structures organized large spans
New notation supported duple and triple divisions

Music theory concepts

Mensuration: Signs and note relationships governing duple and triple divisions of musical time.
Isorhythm: Independent repeating patterns of duration and pitch used to organize large spans.
Coloration and proportion: Notational changes that alter rhythmic values or create proportional relationships.
Landini cadence: A characteristic upper-voice descent before the final arrival, especially in Italian music.

Famous composers

Writers and poets

Geoffrey Chaucer
Petrarch
Giovanni Boccaccio

Visual artists

Giotto
Simone Martini
Ambrogio Lorenzetti

Key historical event

The Black Death reached Europe in 1347–1351 and profoundly altered social, religious, and artistic life.

Notable invention

The mechanical clock spread through European cities, reshaping ideas of measured and coordinated time.