List of Renaissance composers

Lists of classical music
composers by era
Medieval (476 – 1400)
Renaissance (1400 – 1600)
Baroque (1600 – 1760)
Classical era (1730 – 1820)
Romantic era (1815 – 1910)
20th century (1900 – 2000)
21st century (since 2000)

This is a list of composers active during the Renaissance period of European history. Since the 14th century is not usually considered by music historians to be part of the musical Renaissance, but part of the Middle Ages, composers active during that time can be found in the List of Medieval composers. Composers on this list had some period of significant activity after 1400, before 1600, or in a few cases they wrote music in a Renaissance idiom in the several decades after 1600.

Contents

Burgundian

Main article: Burgundian School

The Burgundian School is a term used to denote a group of composers active in the 15th century in what is now northern and eastern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, centered on the court of the Dukes of Burgundy. The school also included some English composers at the time when part of modern France was controlled by England. The Burgundian School was the first phase of activity of the Franco-Flemish School, the central musical practice of the Renaissance in Europe.

Name Born Died Notes
Johannes Tapissier
(Jean de Noyers)		 c. 1370 before 1410
Nicolas Grenon c. 1375 1456
Pierre Fontaine c. 1380 c. 1450
Jacobus Vide fl. 1405? after 1433
Guillaume Legrant
(Lemarcherier)		 fl. 1405 after 1449
John Dunstaple c. 1390 1453 Native to England.
Guillaume Dufay
(Guillaume Du Fay)		 1397 1474
Johannes Brassart c. 1400/1405 1455
Johannes Legrant fl. c. 1420 after 1440
Gilles Binchois
(Gilles de Bins)		 c. 1400 1460
Hugo de Lantins fl. c. 1420 after 1430
Arnold de Lantins fl. 1423 1431/1432
Reginaldus Libert fl. c. 1425 after 1435
Jean Cousin before 1425 after 1475
Gilles Joye 1424/1425 1483
Guillaume le Rouge fl. 1450 after 1465
Robert Morton c. 1430 1479
Antoine Busnois c. 1430 1492
Adrien Basin fl. 1457 after 1498
Hayne van Ghizeghem c. 1445 after 1476

English

Due in part to its isolation from mainland Europe, the English Renaissance began later than most other parts of Europe. The Renaissance style also continued into a period in which many other European nations had already made the transition into the Baroque. While late medieval English music was influential on the development of the Burgundian style, most English music of the 15th century was lost, particularly during the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the time of Henry VIII. The Tudor period of the 16th century was a time of intense interest in music, and Renaissance styles began to develop with mutual influence from the mainland. Some English musical trends were heavily indebted to foreign styles, for example the English Madrigal School; others had aspects of continental practice as well as uniquely English traits. Composers included Thomas Tallis, John Dowland, Orlando Gibbons and William Byrd.

1370–1450

Name Born Died Notes
Forest
probably John Forest		 1365/70 1446 Dean of Wells. One credo setting and six antiphons by him survive in the second layer of the Old Hall Manuscript; two anonymous settings may also be by him.
Pycard fl. c. 1390 after c. 1410 Has works preserved in the first layer of the Old Hall Manuscript and elsewhere. His identity is unclear; probably English, but possibly from France.
Leonel Power c. 1370 1445
J. Cooke
probably John Cooke		 c. 1385 1442? Nine pieces attributed to him in the Old Hall Manuscript.
Damett
almost certainly Thomas Damett		 c. 1389 1436/7 A significant contributor to the second layer of the Old Hall Manuscript where nine of his works are preserved.
Roy Henry fl. 1410 after 1410 Very likely to be Henry V of England (1387–1422).
Byttering
possibly Thomas Byttering		 fl. c. 1410 after 1420
N. Sturgeon
almost certainly Nicholas Sturgeon		 fl. 1413 1454
Richard Smert c. 1400 1478/9 Has eight carols for 2 or 3 voices attributed entirely to him in the Ritson Manuscript; a further four are jointly credited to Smert and John Trouluffe.
John Plummer c. 1410 c. 1483
Henry Abyngdon c. 1418 1497
John Trouluffe
John Treloff		 fl. 1448 c. 1473 Represented in the Ritson Manuscript, by three settings of Nesciens mater for three voices and by four carols. Richard Smert is jointly credited.
Richard Mowere
possibly the same as Richard Mawere		 fl. 1450 after 1470 Has two 3-voice settings in the Ritson Manuscript.
Walter Frye fl. c. 1450 after 1475
William Horwood c. 1430 1484 Some of his music is collected in the Eton Choirbook.
John Hothby
Johannes Ottobi		 c. 1430 1487 English theorist and composer mainly active in Italy.
William Hawte
William Haute		 c. 1430 1497
Richard Hygons c. 1435 c. 1509
Gilbert Banester c. 1445 1487
John Tuder
John Tudor		 fl. c. 1470 after 1470 A number of his works are found in the Pepys Manuscript; the most extended piece, a setting of Lamentations, is incomplete (only one voice part is preserved).
Walter Lambe c. 1450 after 1504 Major contributor to the Eton Choirbook.
Henry Prentyce
Harry Prentes		 1450s 1514 Has an extant 5-voice Magnificat setting in the Caius Choirbook.
Hugh Kellyk late 15th century 16th century? has two surviving pieces, a five-part Magnificat and a seven-part Gaude flore virginali, in the Eton Choirbook.
Edmund Turges
possibly the same as Edmund Sturges		 fl. 1507 after 1508 Has a number of works preserved in the Eton Choirbook; at least three Magnificat settings and two masses have been lost.

1451–1500

1501–1550

1551–1570

1571–1580

1581–1611

Franco-Flemish

Main article: Franco-Flemish School

The Franco-Flemish School refers, somewhat imprecisely, to the style of polyphonic vocal music composition in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. See Renaissance music for a more detailed description of the style. The composers of this time and place, and the music they produced, are also known as the Dutch School. The word "Dutch" here refers to the historical Low Countries, roughly corresponding to modern Belgium, northern France and the Netherlands. Most artists were born in Hainaut, Flanders and Brabant.

1370–1450

1451–1500

1501–1550

1551–1574

French

France here does not refer to the France of today, but a smaller region of French-speaking people separate from the area controlled by the Duchy of Burgundy. In medieval times, France was the centre of musical development with the Notre Dame school and Ars nova, this was later surpassed by the Burgundian School, but France remained a leading producer of choral music throughout the Renaissance.

1370–1450

1451–1500

1501–1550

1551–1600

German

1350–1400

1401–1450

1451–1500

1501–1550

1551–1600

Italian

After the Burgundian School came to an end, Italy became the leading exponent of renaissance music and continued its innovation with, for example, the Venetian and (somewhat more conservative) Roman Schools of composition. In particular the Venetian School's polychoral compositions of the late 16th century were among the most famous musical events in Europe, and their influence on musical practice in other countries was enormous. The innovations introduced by the Venetian School, along with the contemporary development of monody and opera in Florence, together define the end of the musical Renaissance and the beginning of the musical Baroque.

1350–1470

1471–1500

1501–1525

1526–1550

1551–1586

Polish

During a period of favourable economic and political conditions at the beginning of the 16th century, Poland reached the height of its powers, when it was one of the richest and most powerful countries in Europe. It encompassed an area which included present day Lithuania and Latvia and portions of what is now Ukraine, Belarus, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Germany. As the middle class prospered, patronage for the arts in Poland increased, and also looked westward - particularly to Italy - for influences.

Portuguese

Spanish

1370–1450

1451–1510

1511–1570

Czech

Other

Unknown nationality

See also

There is considerable overlap near the beginning and end of this era. See lists of composers for the previous and following eras.