the Chapels Royal of England and France were prominent. Most large bishoprics, also, aimed to maintain at their cathedrals musical forces of ability. This dependence of music upon the official patronage of the Church and of courts remains conspicuous until the 19th century. [For convenience, the head of a chapel will in following pages be designated as 'choirmaster.']
Jean de Okeghem (d. 1495), born at Termonde in East Flanders soon after 1430, had his first training as a choirboy at Antwerp in 1443-4, entered the Royal Chapel at Paris in 1452 and was soon made choirmaster, in which post he apparently continued till his death, though also serving for a time as cathedral-treasurer at Tours. He was employed by three kings in succession, is said to have taught many pupils, and was often styled 'Prince of Music.' His genius set Paris in the first rank as a musical capital. His extant works include about 20 masses, many motets and chansons, etc., of unquestioned importance. In technique and genius he rises above all his contemporaries.
It is impossible to arrange the names of the period in any satisfactory order, or to be sure which most deserve mention, since so many details are unknown. The following, at least, should be named:—
More or less associated with Antwerp were Jacques Barbireau (d. 1491), born in Hainaut, for more than forty years choirmaster at Antwerp and highly honored as an authority elsewhere, but whose known works are few; Jacob Obrecht (d. 1505), who was born at Utrecht about 1430, probably was choirmaster there in 1465, later visited Italy, taught at Cambrai in 1483-5, later at Bruges and at Antwerp in 1492-1504, dying of the plague at Ferrara, and whose numerous works show a genius that has much to attract a modern taste, including one of the earliest Passions known; Antonius Wyngaerde (d. 1499), also born at Utrecht, and a singer at Antwerp Cathedral, whom Glarean names as a fine contrapuntist, but whose works have nearly all vanished; and Jean Regis, who taught at Antwerp as early as 1463. Possibly Philippon de Bourges and others should here be added.
In Italy, Netherland musicians begin to be in request, like Guillaume Guarneri, who worked first at Milan and later at Naples, besides serving in the Papal Chapel in 1474-83; Gaspar Weerbecke (d. 1514), born about 1440 at Oudenarde, who made his reputation from 1472 as teacher and court-choirmaster at Milan, and was in the Papal Chapel in 1481-9, and again in 1499-1509, returning to Milan in the interval, and whose extant works are many; and Alexander Agricola (d. 1506?), an eccentric writer, probably born about 1446, long a singer at Milan, from 1474 in southern Italy, later at Mantua, then from 1500 choirmaster at Brussels, and finally in Spain.
In Spain should be noted Francisco de Peñalosa (d. 1535), who was court-musician to Ferdinand V. of Castile, and of whose works much remains.
In Germany, also, talented contrapuntists begin to appear, among the earliest being Traugott Eugenius, cantor at Thorn (on the Polish border) about 1490, who wrote some fifty part-songs, and Heinrich Finck (d. 1519?), who was born at Bamberg, studied at Leipsic, served long in Poland, where he was royal choirmaster in 1492-1506, and then removed to Stuttgart—represented by many notable German part-songs and much sacred music of a lower order.
