Guillaume Du Fay

Guillaume Du Fay was born on August 5, 1397, in Beersel near Brussels. Trained as a choirboy at the prestigious Cambrai Cathedral, Du Fay became the most celebrated musician in Europe, serving in the papal choir in Rome and Florence and at the court of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy.

On March 25, 1436, his complex isorhythmic motet Nuper rosarum flores was performed at the consecration of Filippo Brunelleschi's dome for the Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore). Du Fay synthesized French rhythmic complexity, Italian melodic lyricism, and English thirds and sixths, laying the foundations for the Renaissance Franco-Flemish school.