History
The earliest barlines, used in piano and vihuela music in the 15th and 16th centuries, didn't reflect a regular meter at all but were only section divisions, or in some cases marked off every beat.
Barlines began to be introduced into ensemble music in the late 16th century but continued to be used irregularly for a time. Not until the mid-1600s were barlines used in the modern style with every measure being the same length, and they began to be associated with time signatures.
Read more about this topic: Bar (music)
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