Although Josquin des Prez (1450 and 1455 - 1521) has
sometimes been confused with a Josquin de Kessalia who
sang in Milan from 1459 to 1474 and died in 1498, the
earliest surviving document shows he was a singer at
the chapel of René, Duke of Anjou, in Aix-en-Provence
as of 19 April 1477, and a birthdate of circa 1450 is
now generally accepted. There are numerous gaps in his
biography and seems to have traveled widely, but
Josquin was headquartered in Milan 1483-89, was a
member of the papal ch...(+)
Although Josquin des Prez (1450 and 1455 - 1521) has
sometimes been confused with a Josquin de Kessalia who
sang in Milan from 1459 to 1474 and died in 1498, the
earliest surviving document shows he was a singer at
the chapel of René, Duke of Anjou, in Aix-en-Provence
as of 19 April 1477, and a birthdate of circa 1450 is
now generally accepted. There are numerous gaps in his
biography and seems to have traveled widely, but
Josquin was headquartered in Milan 1483-89, was a
member of the papal choir 1489 to 1495 (and left a
recently discovered graffito in the Sistine Chapel),
served Louis XII after 1499, Duke Ercole I of Ferrara
1503-4, become provost of the collegiate church of
Notre-Dame at Condé-sur-l'Escaut on 3 May 1504, and
added a post at Saint Quentin in 1509.
The reputation of the princeps musicorum can hardly be
overstated; one contemporary even calls Michelangelo
the Josquin of sculpture. The list of conflicting and
dubious attributions is correspondingly great.
This 4-part Ave Maria of Josquin des Prez was extremely
popular in the sixteenth century, through its then
“new” more “open” style (fewer melismas, parts
set with just two voices). Even today, it is considered
one of the most nearly perfect compositions of its era.
It was so popular during Josquin's life that an
anonymous composer, probably Ludwig Daser, working
after Josquin's death, circulated a version with two
new added voices (Ave Maria … Virgo serena, a 6).
Ludwig Senfl also wrote a 6-part Ave Maria parody based
on this piece.
Source: ChoralWiki
(https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Josquin_des_Prez)<
br>
Although originally composed for Chorus (SATB), I
created this arrangement of "Ave Maria" from
Dodecachordon (Henricus Glareanus - 1547) for Woodwind
Quartet (Flute, Oboe, English Horn & Bassoon).
