Jacob Obrecht

Jacob Obrecht was one of the composers who assured the excellent reputation of Dutch-Flemish music in the Renaissance. Obrecht worked in Bergen op Zoom, Cambrai, Bruges, Antwerp, and finally for a short period in Ferrara, Italy. In his earlier work, Obrecht was strongly influenced by his predecessors, especially Ockeghem. Soon his works grew bigger and more energetic, although he did have a short period in which he preferred calmer and more stable music. He was most prolific between 1485 and 1491, when he composed many missas and motets in a professional, yet extremely varied style. After this period, his style became less ambiguous. He strove less towards a pleasant sound, and more towards intelligible structures. In his final years, he mostly composed motets.