Josquin is the most famous composer of the early Renaissance period; 2021 marks the 500th anniversary of his death. His music is endlessly fascinating in its revolutionary balance of intellectual cleverness and direct emotion.

In this talk, commissioned by Run by Singers, conductor and musicologist David Allinson explores the ways in which Josquin’s music engages the mind and touches the heart, picking out a few outstanding examples to share. He also poses questions: how can we ‘know’ Josquin, given that so much of his life-story is lost?

How on earth did this composer’s reputation shine, given that so many of the pieces attributed to him are by other people (and many of those are distinctly mediocre)?

And how, among a field of superbly talented contemporaries, did Josquin come to be the most celebrated musician of his age?

David will offer a lively, impassioned exploration of a much loved and much disputed figure: this is a *celebration* laced with opinion and humour.

Advance booking is essential, via https://www.runbysingers.online/product/josquin/