Josquin des Prez

Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez was a composer of High Renaissance music, variously described as 'French' or 'Franco-Flemish'. A central figure of the Franco-Flemish School, Josquin is considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance and had a profound influence on the music of 16th-century Europe. Building on the work of his predecessors Guillaume Du Fay and Johannes Ockeghem, he developed a complex style of expressive—and often imitative—polyphony which informs much of his work. In addition, he increased emphasis on the relationship between text and music, and departed from the early Renaissance emphasis on lengthy melismatic lines, preferring to use shorter, repeated motifs between voices. A singer himself, Josquin's compositions are chiefly vocal, including masses, motets and a variety of secular chansons.