Composers of the Low Countries

The 15th and 16th centuries represented a golden age in the musical history of the Netherlands, Belgium and Northern France, lands whose sense of unified cultural identity, despite the complexity of changing national boundaries, is expressed by the designation "The Low Countries". The music of Ockeghem, Obrecht, Josquin des Prez and their contemporaries was widely acclaimed for its contrapuntal skill and sublime beauty. Their influence spread to Central and Southern Europe, where many of the major figures spent the greater part of their productive lives. Willem Elders considers this uniquely influential school of composers in the broader context of Renaissance culture. His book does not aim at a chronological survey but it deals systematically with sacred, secular and instrumental compositions which in form and style are representative of the period. In the process he examines the identity of the so-called "Netherlands School" and deals with the extraordinary trend of migration southwards. He offers an investigation of sacred music as a symbolic language and also considers the musical centres of the time and the position of the composer in society. The appendix contains short biographies and summaries of the works of 50 comosers, from Cicona to Sweelinck, while a glossary explains over 100 musicological terms.Table of ContentSacred music; sacred music as a symbolic language; secular music; instrumental music; the position of the composer in society.