COMPOSER OF THE WEEK: 38. Josquin des Prez

Born: circa 1450/1455; Hainaut (modern-day Belgium) or immediately across the border in modern-day France

Died: August 27, 1521; Condé-sur-l'Escaut, France.

Nationality: French

Occupation: composer

Josquin des Prez was a French composer of the Renaissance, born circa 1450/1455 and died on August 27, 1521. 

Location of the County of Hainaut, his
birthplace (1350)

Location of Condé-sur-l'Escaut, his death
place

He was the most famous European composer between Guillaume Dufay and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and is generally regarded as the central figure of the Franco-Flemish School. Josquin is widely regarded as the first master of the Renaissance style of polyphonic vocal music that was emerged during his lifetime.

Guillaume Dufay

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Josquin gained the reputation as the greatest composer of the age during the 16th century. His mastery of musical technique and expression was widely imitated and admired, and many famous writers such as Baldassare Castiglione and Martin Luther wrote about his reputation and fame. 

Baldassare Castiglione

Martin Luther

He was so admired that copyists attributed many anonymous compositions to his works, and thus more than 370 works were attributed to him. However, despite his great reputation, little is known about his life.

Ercole I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara,
Josquin's employer in 1503 and 1504

Josquin wrote both sacred and secular music, and in all the significant vocal forms of the age, including masses, motets, chansons and frottole, and was praised for his supreme melodic talent and use of ingenious technical devices. 

Manuscript showing the opening Kyrie of the Missa
de Beata Virgine

In modern times, scholars have tried to ascertain his life in detail, and attempted to define the key characteristics of his style in order to correct misattributions that have been erroneously attributed to his work.

A 1611 woodcut of Josquin des Prez

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COMPOSER OF THE WEEK: 26. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Born: February 3, 1525; Palestrina, Italy

Died: February 2, 1594; Rome, Italy

Nationality: Italian

Occupation: Composer

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, born on February 3, 1525 and died on February 2, 1594, was an Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music and the most famous 16th-century representative of the Roman School. He had a great influence on the development of European church and secular music, especially on the development of counterpoint, and his works are considered the pinnacle of Renaissance polyphony.

Palestrina was born in Palestrina, near Rome, to Naples parents, Santo and Palma Pierluigi. He first visited Rome in 1537, when he became a member of the choir at the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica in Rome.

Santa Maria Maggiore

Palestrina served as the organist of the Cathedral of St. Agapito, the main church in his hometown from 1544 to 1551. 

Cathedral of St. Agapito

In 1551, Pope Julius III, former Bishop of Palestrina, appointed Palestrina the musical director of the Cappella Giulia, the choir of the chapter of canons at St. Peter's Basilica. Palestrina dedicated to Julius III a book of Masses, his first published compositions in 1554.

Pope Julius III

During the next decade, Palestrina held similar positions to Julian Chapel at other chapels and churches in Rome, notably St. John Lateran (1555–1560), and Santa Maria Maggiore (1561–1566).  

Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran

In 1571, he returned to the Julian Chapel and remained at St Peter's for the rest of his life. In the 1570s, Palestrina had personally a difficult time, including the death of his brother, two sons and his wife due to three separate plagues. 

He considered becoming a priest at this time, but instead of becoming a priest, he remarried a wealthy widow. This allowed him to give financial independence and to compose many works until his death.

He died of pleurisy in Rome on February 2, 1594, only one day before his 69th birthday, and was buried on the same day he died. Palestrina's funeral was held at St. Peter's, and he was buried beneath the floor of the basilica.

St. Peter's Basilica

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