Born: 1440-1521
Nationality: Franco-Flemish
Education/Training: It is possible that he was a choir boy at Saint-Quentin, and studied counterpoint with Ockeghem
Best Known For: one of the finest and most influencial composers in the history of Western music, whose works are always marked by a subtlety and serenity characteristic of the Franco-Flemish school
Notable Compositions: motets Miserere mei, Deus, Stabat Mater dolorosa, and Praeter rerum serium, masses Missa de beata virgine and Missa l'homme armé, frottolas El grillo and In te Domine speravi
Assignments: singer at the chapel of René, Duke of Anjou, in Aix-en-Provence; employed by the Sforza family in Milan; a member of the papal choir in Rome, where it is believed he carved his name into the wall of the Sistine Chapel; employed by the Duke Ercole I of Ferrara; retired to become the provost of the collegiate Church of Notre-Dame as well as Saint-Quentin collegiate Church
Curious Facts: was so well known and admired by his contemporaries that many anonymous compositions were attributed to him by publishers, probably to increase sales
Press: "Josquin is master of the notes, which must express what he desires; other choral composers must do what the notes dictate." -Martin Luther
