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Ockenheim, Jean D'

1910 New Catholic Dictionary

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Founder of the second Netherland school of music, born probably Termonde, Flanders, c.1430;died probably Tours, France, 1495. He was a choir boy at Antwerp Cathedral, 1443, and is supposed to have become a pupil of Gilles Binchois and Guillaume Dufay. After receiving Holy-Orders, he held the post of court chapel-master under three French kings, 1453-1495, at the same time acting by royal appointment as treasurer of Saint Martin's Church at Tours. Among his compositions are a mass for four voices, and a motet for 36 voices, a masterpiece of high contemporary repute. In the annals of music he is considered an excellent contrapuntist and originator of the art which, through his pupils, was diversified among schools of music since his time; his innovation of allowing free voice entry on any interval was effective in developing the a capella style.