Why Was Josquin Des Prez Important?

Josquin des Prez's masses are works of towering genius, notable for the purity and expressiveness of their musical language. ... Josquin was the greatest composer of the Renaissance, respected and emulated by his contemporaries, and as significant a figure in his own day as Beethoven was in the early 19th century.

How did Josquin des Prez affect the style of the Renaissance period?

In his chansons Josquin was the principal exponent of a style new in the mid-15th century, in which the learned techniques of canon and counterpoint were applied to secular song. He abandoned the fixed forms of the rondeau and the ballade, employing freer forms of his own device.

What was special about Josquin de Prez?

Josquin Des Prez was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance. ... Josquin is widely considered by music scholars to be the first master of the high Renaissance style of polyphonic vocal music that was emerging during his lifetime.