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JOSQUIN DES PRES

Around 1450 --- 27th August 1521

Josquin des Prés (c. 1450-1521): one of the great masters of the contrapuntal style of writing that flourished in the Netherlands
in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

Born in  the province  of Hainault,  in what  is now Belgium,  he learned  music singing in a  church choir at St.  Quentin.  Later he
became director of the choir. In his twenties he traveled to Italy, where he sang in a court choir in Milan.  For eight years he was
a member of the pope's choir in Rome.

Becoming court composer  to Louis XII of France,  Josquin dazzled  everyone by his ability  to write the most  complicated music
based on simple chants  and folk songs.  Martin Luther,  an admiring friend and a good musician himself,  said of him "Josquin is
the master  of the notes,  others are mastered  by the notes".  He became one of  the best-known  composers in Europe,  and his
style was much imitated.

Much of Josquin's music  was written to  be sung in church.  It included thirty masses and many shorter  religious works.  But he
also wrote  hundreds of  chansons ---- light  songs for three, four,  or five  voices -----  that are gay  and charming.  The religious
works are full of every known learned device of counter-point, although the melodies that Josquin wove above  the chant or folk
song are spun out with marvelous freshness. In the chansons this composer used a  lighter style with  simple melodies  and little
touches of dance rhythms. He was fond of splitting four voices into different pairs  so that little duets are constantly taking place
At other times the master wrote  chansons that move along so much like music of a later  period that Josquin has been called the
"father of modern harmony".

Josquin was a good-humored man  and fond of little musical jokes.  When Louis XII forgot  to give him a promised gift,  Josquin
wrote a motet to be sung in Louis's church.  At the service Louis was embarrassed  to hear the choir sing about those who broke
their promises.  On another occasion,  noting that Louis  was fond of singing but had a very poor voice,  Josquin wrote  a duet in
which the king had but one long note to sing throughout the whole composition. Josquin also wrote a mass based on a pun. The
melodic theme of the mass is: la sol fa re mi, suggesting, in Italian, La ci fare mi, or "Let me take care of it".

After all  his worldly  successes,  Josquin settled down as  provost of  the cathedral in  Condé-sur-l'Escaut, France.  While he was
alive his  music was sung  in all of the cities of Europe,  but after his death people turned to  the works of newer composers.  The
music of the one-time "Prince of Music" was almost unheard.  But music lovers have recently discovered Josquin and many of his
works have been published in modern editions and recorded.

My sincere thanks goes to David SM Knopf for writing and donating the above information. Thank you.

Last Updated on 2021
By Steven Ritchie

And now for the Music

New (3220)"Absalon fili mi". Sequenced by Dominique Marsu Portier.

Thanks to Emily for the music below. Email (HappyMusician@opendiary.com).

(1842)"Fanfare for a King". Sequenced by Emily Gray

(833)"De Profundis Clamavi". Sequenced By Andy Averill

(530)"El Grillo". Sequenced By Mike Starke

New (3219)"Jose Lall". Sequencer Unknown.

New (3218)"Miller". Sequencer Unknown.

(1819)"Avia Maria". Sequencer Unknown

(832)"Avia maria Virginitas". Sequencer Unknown

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