Jacob Obrecht -also: Hobrecht, Hoberti, Obreth- (1457/1458 - 1505), a Flemish/Netherlands composer from the third generation and was born in Ghent in 1457 or 1458 (some source: 22/11/1450). He was the only child of William Obrecht (1430-1488) city-trumpeter of Ghent and Lysbette Gheeraertys (1440-1460). It is now proved, nevertheless suggested for a long time, Obrecht was not born in Bergen op Zoom. Less is known about his youth. Of course he studied as a choirboy and before1479 he finished his study as a priest, unknown where, perhaps in Louvain. From 1479/80 up to 1484 he worked for the first time as choirmaster at Saint-Gertrude in Bergen op Zoom. From September 1484 he started as choirmaster at Cambrai cathedral. From 1485 up to 1491 he was choirmaster at Saint-Donatian Church de Bruges and in 1485 he was an appointed succentor at the same church. From 1487 to 1488 he made a journey to Ferrara and met the Duke Ercole I d’Este, who persuaded him to stay but failed. He travelled due to some wars to Bergen op Zoom and went back to Bruges and resigned there the 22nd of January 1491. From 1492-1497 Obrecht was an appointed choirmaster at Notre Dame Antwerp where he succeeded Jean Barbireau (c1408—1491). Probable in 1492 he travelled to France and in 1494/95 he composed motet Inter praeclarissimas virtutes which he dedicated to the Pope. Due to his illness Obrecht went back again to Bergen op Zoom and was for the second time choirmaster at Saint Gertrude in 1497 and 1498. He recovered and went back to Bruges at Saint-Donatian as a choirmaster from 1498 -1500. But in the summer of 1500 he went seriously ill. Before June 1501 he left Bruges for the last time and was again Choirmaster in Antwerp at Notre Dame 1501 -1503. In 1503 via Innsbruck he travelled to Italy where he cultivated the patronage of Duke Ercole I d’Este in Ferrara and was appointed chapel-master Maestro di capella in succeeding Josquin des Prez (1450-1521). He was not lucky unfortunately he lost his post due the his patron's untimely death in January 1505. He went to Mantua and returned in Ferrara where Obrecht died in 1505 as a victim of the plague. If the place of death suggests that Obrecht was yet another Flemish composer who received his training in the Low Countries and made his living in Italy, this is as stated before inaccurate. Obrecht wrote at least thirty mass cycles, of which two mentioned in contemporary sources are lost and one is missing two of its parts, 32 motets and 30 secular pieces. Obrecht was one of the primary composers responsible for significant changes in musical style during the late fifteenth century. He was especially important to the development of larger forms, as the first composer to systematically demonstrate unified formal structure and long-range cadential planning over the course of extended works. See for instance Missa Maria Zart this master piece takes seventy minutes. He was a leading representative of the Flemish polyphonic style! During 1480 – 1489 not hindered by any illness he was the only composer of his generation to be mentioned by Tinctoris as among the most eminent of the century, like Dunstaple, Dufay, Ockeghem, and Busnois were those mentioned alongside him, and had his works received prominently admiration at the court in Ferrara. How famous Obrecht was proves the following: two of his Masses were in the repertoire of the Pope's Sistine Chapel choir even before Obrecht stayed in Italy. He was the first composer who saw consequently the mass as we call now a symphony! The mass settings are very impressive. Only Josquin could come in his place as the leading representative of the golden age of polyphony, but thanks to Obrecht! Author: