Josquin Desprez, princeps musicorum, the prince of musicians, as his contemporaries called him, is nowadays best known for his sacred works. His masses and motets have been performed and recorded on a large scale. Surprisingly, his chansons have received little attention from performers, with the exception of the five- and six-part pieces, which after his death were printed by the Antwerp publisher Tilman Susato in his seventh book of 1545.
Doulce Mémoire has chosen to concentrate on the three- and four-part chansons, which are probably the earliest from the oeuvre of the Hainaut master; with their variety of language and themes (sometimes borrowed from folklore), these songs form a varied programme that is at once serious and ribald, a testament to the unparalleled art of Josquin Desprez.
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