Ex nihilo: Polyphony Beyond the Order of Things

The Franco-Flemish School refers to a succession of Northern European composer-singers from the Low Countries and northern France who, during the 15th and 16th centuries, perfected a richly woven style of vocal polyphony. Centered on sacred forms such as the Mass and motet, and on courtly chansons, their music is characterized by careful control of dissonance, modal counterpoint, cantus-firmus and paraphrase techniques, and—by the later generations—pervasive imitation. Their chapel-trained composers staffed the great courts and cathedrals of Europe and spread a unified, technically rigorous polyphonic practice from Burgundy and the French royal chapels to Italy, Spain, the Empire, and beyond.