Renaissance Composers

Composers who worked during the European Renaissance, which extended from roughly 1400 to 1600, depending on the region.

• William Byrd (born 1543, died 1623)

  English composer.

  • Composer of madrigals and church music
• Claudio Monteverdi (born 1567, died 1643)

  Italian composer.

  • Composer of operas, masses and madrigals
• Orlando di Lasso (born 1532, died 1594)

  Belgian composer.

  • Composer of sacred music, madrigals, and chansons
• Giovanni Palestrina (born 1525, died 1594)

  Italian composer.

  • Composer of sacred music, including the Missa Papae Marcelli (Pope Marcellus Mass)
• John Dowland (born 1563, died 1626)

  English composer and lutenist.

  • Wrote Songs of Ayres
• Guillaume Du Fay (died 1474)

  French composer of vocal works.

  • The most famous composer in Europe in his day
• Josquin des Pres (died 1521)

  Flemish composer of both masses and secular works.

  • Developed the technique known as pervading imitation
• Adrian Willaert (died 1562)

  Musician and composer.

  • As maestro de cappella at St. Mark''s cathedral, he helped to make Venice a major musical center
• Giovanni Gabrieli (born 1555, died 1612)

  Italian composer.

  • One of the leaders of the Venetian School
• Orlandus de Lassus (born 1532, died 1594)

  Belgian composer.

  • Composed over 1500 works
• Jacopo Peri (born 1561, died 1633)

  Italian composer.

  • Wrote the first opera, Dafne, in 1597
• Hans Sachs (born 1494, died 1576)

  Prolific German composer and poet.

  • The subject of Wagner''s opera Der Meistersinger
• Thomas Tallis (born 1515, died 1585)

  English organist and composer.

  • One of the first to write sacred music in English