Josquin des Prez

Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez (c. 1450–1455 – 27 August 1521) was a singer and composer of Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he was a central figure of the Franco-Flemish School and had a profound influence on the music of 16th-century Europe. Building on the work of predecessors like Johannes Ockeghem, he developed a complex style of polyphony that emphasized the relationship between text and music. Josquin preferred motifs to melisma, and his compositions are mainly vocal works like masses, motets, and secular chansons. Josquin's biography has been continually revised by modern scholarship. By 1477 he was in the choir of René of Anjou. In the 1480s, Josquin traveled to Italy with the Cardinal Ascanio Sforza. Many of his works were printed and published by Ottaviano Petrucci in the early 16th century. From 1504 until the end of his life, he lived in Condé, where he produced some of his most admired works, including the masses Missa de Beata Virgine, and Missa Pange lingua. Josquin has been described as the first Western composer to retain posthumous fame. In 16th-century Europe, his music was widely performed and imitated. He earned praised from figures like Martin Luther, Heinrich Glarean, and Gioseffo Zarlino. During the 20th century early music revival, Josquin's reputation was reevaluated and attributions of his work became dubious. His music remains central to the repertoire of early music ensembles and is frequently recorded. He was celebrated worldwide on the 500th anniversary of his death in 2021.