Publisher's Synopsis
Son of a town trumpeter, Jacob Obrecht become one of the most prominent composers in Europe in the late-15th century. In this book, the author enlarges the picture of the social and cultural conditions that framed his world, drawing on a wealth of new archival sources and a newly discovered dated portrait that sheds light on his development as a composer.;Obrecht's greatest contribution lay in the field of mass composition. In a stylistic analysis, Wegman treats each of the 30-odd surviving masses as a historical record, tracing influences and establishing a context for the development of Obrecht's musical language. This assessment of his creative achievement and historical significance should change the face of Obrecht studies and of late-15th century music in general.
