Josquin des Prez: pioneer in the Franco-Flemish School of music

Josquin des Prez was the leading architect of the point of imitation style, in which a motif introduced in one voice is imitated in another, then another, enabling the polyphonic texture to grow from a pair of voices to four, five or six.

This technique became the fundamental rule for serious composers of the 16th century. Josquin pioneered the techniques of tone painting that played an essential role in the music of the late Renaissance era.

The problems in assembling a works list for Josquin cannot be overdrawn. Just because of his colossal fame in the sixteenth century, many publishers did not resist the temptation of assigning anonymous or faked works to Josquin.

The German editor Georg Forster summarized the situation when he wrote:

"I remember a certain eminent man saying that, now that Josquin is dead, he is putting out more works than when he was alive."

So, the authenticity some of his music works is disputed on stylistic grounds or problems with sources.

Here is the record on which the atmosphere of that time is well-conveyed. Plusieurs Regretz performed by Capella Sancti Michaelis:

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