Guillaume Du Fay

1397–1474

A composer of the early Renaissance whose masses, motets, and secular songs connect late medieval musical practices with fifteenth-century polyphony.

15th c. · Early Renaissance

Musical context

Early Renaissance · 15th c.

Court chapels and churches connected musicians across England, Burgundy, France, and Italy, encouraging an international exchange of styles. Composers such as Dufay and Binchois combined inherited medieval techniques with a growing preference for smoother melodic writing and the consonant sound of thirds and sixths associated with English music. Political patronage and the movement of singers helped spread these approaches. Explore the era →

Related glossary terms

Burgundian chanson Cantus firmus Cyclic mass Fauxbourdon Imitation

Pieces

No pieces by Guillaume Du Fay have been added to the catalog yet.