Franco-Flemish school
Franco-Flemish composers of the 15th and 16th centuries, such as Ockeghem, Josquin and Lassus.
What it means
The Franco-Flemish school, also called the Netherlandish school, is the name for the composers of the 15th and 16th centuries who came from the Low Countries, Flanders and northern France and shaped the European music of this period. They worked at courts and churches in France, Burgundy, Italy and Spain and spread their style there.
Its hallmark is vocal polyphony: several equal voices that imitate one another, that is, take up the same melody one after another, and combine into a dense, balanced texture. The forms are above all the Mass, the motet and the chanson.
Musical use
The most important representatives include Johannes Ockeghem (c. 1410–1497), Josquin des Prez (c. 1450–1521), Jacob Obrecht, Adrian Willaert and Orlande de Lassus (1532–1594). One speaks of several generations: Guillaume Dufay and the Burgundians were followed by Ockeghem and Josquin, then by Willaert, Lassus and others. Their art of imitation also shaped Palestrina and later counterpoint.
The Franco-Flemish school should be distinguished from the Roman school around Palestrina, which after the Council of Trent cultivated a clearer, more intelligible style, and from the Venetian school with its polychoral writing.
Performance practice
When you sing Franco-Flemish vocal music, pay attention to the independence of each voice. Every voice has its own melody and its own entry; listen to the others and let the imitations be heard.