Josquin and the Franco

Josquin and the Franco-flemish School

August 2021 brings the 500th anniversary of the death of Josquin des Prez, the central figure of the Franco-Flemish School of composers that flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries. Among its other members were Binchois, Dufay, Obrecht, de La Rue, Isaac, Lassus, Ockeghem, Willaert and de Wert. In musical terms the school, born in the Renaissance, made a transition in the course of 200 years from the ancient modes to the style and practice of the early Baroque. Glorying in polyphony, it encompassed both the sacred and secular as it produced songs, motets, masses, psalms and more.

This 34-CD set - which will also be released as individual albums on digital platforms - features performances by many defining forces in the early music movement, including the Ensemble Gilles Binchois, Taverner Consort, Hilliard Ensemble, King's Singers, Early Music Consort of London, and Syntagma Musicum. The collection includes no fewer than seven albums not previously released on CD.