Burgundian School

This refers to the style of music written by a group of composers active in the late 14th and 15th centuries around the Burgundian court. Burgundy was the area at the deltas of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers which now includes part of northern France, western Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands and is also known as the Low Countries. 

 

The court moved from place to place throughout the 15th century and the composers connected to the Burgundian court came primarily from the Low Countries. These composers typically started as singers in the court but became known for their compositions. Many of these composers traveled extensively across Europe, taking the Burgundian style of music as far as Italy. Several additional styles were born within the Burgundian School which includes the Netherlands Schools. 

 

The composers in the Burgundian School include Guillaume de Machaut, Guillaume Dufay, Gilles Binchois, Antoine Busnois, Johannes Ockeghem, Jacob Obrecht, Josquin Desprez, and the English composer John Dunstable. Their compositions included the following musical genres: Mass, motet, chanson, ballad, virelai, madrigal, frottola, villancico, canzona, ricercare, and rondeau.

See Netherlands Schools.