Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Surprise meSurprise meSubscribe
Encyclopedia

List of period instruments

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated October 22, 2025
Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

In the historically informed performance movement, musicians perform classical music using restored or replicated versions of the instruments for which it was originally written. Often performances by such musicians are said to be "on authentic instruments".

This article consists of a list of such instruments in the European tradition, including both instruments that are now obsolete and early versions of instruments that continued to be used in later classical music.

01Renaissance (1400-1600)

Strings

Woodwinds

Brasses

Keyboards

Percussion

Regal, c. 1600, from Frauenfeld Abbey, Switzerland
Regal, c. 1600, from Frauenfeld Abbey, Switzerland
Baroque violin and violoncello da spalla or viola da spalla (cello like instrument often held to chest or shoulder by a strap while playing)
Baroque violin and violoncello da spalla or viola da spalla (cello like instrument often held to chest or shoulder by a strap while playing)

02Baroque (1600-1750)

Strings

Woodwind

Brasses

Keyboards

Percussion

A double-manual harpsichord after Jean-Claude Goujon (1749)
A double-manual harpsichord after Jean-Claude Goujon (1749)

03Classical (1750-1820)

Strings

Woodwinds

Keyboards

Brasses

Percussion

A Classical 4-key boxwood clarinet, ca. 1760
A Classical 4-key boxwood clarinet, ca. 1760
Watch videos about List of period instrumentsExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “List of period instruments”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.

Continue exploring

Related topics

Castrato

A castrato is a male singer who underwent castration before puberty in order to retain a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice can also occur in one who, due to an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.

List of European medieval musical instruments

This is a list of medieval musical instruments used in European music during the Medieval period. It covers the period from before 5th into the 15th A.D. There may be some overlap with Renaissance musical instruments; Renaissance music begins in the 15th century.