Josquin Desprez

Josquin Des Prés (
Born: c. 1450/1455, in the County of Hainaut (i.e. the present-day Belgium) Died: 1521-08-27 (Condé-sur-l'Escaut, France) (also Josquin des Prez, Desprez, Des Prez, etc), and often referred to simply as Josquin, was a Hainaut composer of the Franco-Flemish School of Polyphony.
Josquin (derived from the Flemish "Josken") was renowned as a singer, composer and educator. Characteristic of his music are the great transparency and the tight structure, in which the music closely matches the text. In the chanson, in the mid-15th century, he was the main exponent of a new style in which the techniques of canon and counterpoint were applied to secular songs.
He has been called the most important composer of the entire Renaissance and worked mainly in France and Italy.