Trio

Jacob Obrecht (1457/8[1] – late July 1505) was a Low Countries (greater Netherlands) composer of Low Countries Renaissance music. He was the most famous composer of masses in Europe in the late 15th century, being eclipsed by only Josquin des Prez after his death.

He was the only son of Ghent city trumpeter Willem Obrecht and Lijsbette Gheeraerts. His mother died in 1460 at the age of 20, and his father in 1488 in Ghent.

Details of his early education are sparse, but he probably learned to play the trumpet, like his father, and in so doing learned counterpoint and how to improvise over a cantus firmus. He is likely to have known Antoine Busnois at the Burgundian court, and certainly knew his music, since Obrecht's earliest mass shows close stylistic parallels with the elder composer.

Obrecht wrote mainly sacred music—masses and motets—and he also wrote some chansons. Combining modern and archaic elements, Obrecht's style is multi-dimensional.

Obrecht procedures contrast sharply with the works of the next generation, who favored an increasing simplicity of approach (prefigured by some works of his contemporary Josquin). Although he was renowned in his time, Obrecht appears to have had little influence on subsequent composers; most probably, he simply went out of fashion along with the other contrapuntal masters of his generation.

As with Dufay upload, this work was transcribed by Gark Aboyan. It's a lovely piece, with flow and feel to it, and some "romantic" harmonic touches. I recorded it in two versions, which are back to back in the recording.

The score is attached below, as well as a painting of Jacob Obrecht.