Josquin des Prez, Renaissance Historiography, and the Cultures of Print

This article studies Josquin des Prez, a musical genius who refused to compose on request and was an individualist who represented the new spirit of humanism. It notes the lack of information sources or print for studies on Josquin. This makes him a good example of how musicologists who carry out research on the sixteenth century are often forced to go to the extremes in order to recover even the tiniest shreds of historical evidence. Nevertheless, this article focuses on information gathered by several researchers about Josquin, including his importance in Renaissance studies.