l. Obrecht sang and taught in choir schools before he died of the plague. Although Obrecht used the style of the old motet in some of his compositions, he is best known for having composed vigorous and expressive music which mastered all the subtleties of Flemish polyphony and for his clear, tonal harmonies which he derived from listening to Italian song sources (Pincherle, 1969, p. 39)
By about the year 1520, two types of songs were becoming popular. The Northern masters (Gombert, Crequillon, Clement and Richafort) preferred to compose sacred music and remained faithful to the scientific type of polyphony. In contrast, a lighter caliber of song also came into vogue which was created by the work of Parisian composers like Passereau, Sandrin, and Claudin de Sermisy. The latter style incorporated a delicate lyricism, a rhythmic precision which facilitated instrumental adaptations, and an "alternation of binary and ternary rhythms for expressive purposes" (Pincherle, 1969, pp. 40-41). Two other composers became famous during this same time period: Clement Janequin, who was known for his descriptive music, and the "Prince
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