Netherlandish School

In music, the Franco-Flemish School or more precisely the Netherlandish School refers, somewhat imprecisely, to the style of polyphonic vocal music composition in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries, and to the composers (603 Netherlandish composers in that area (1400-1630) are known) who wrote it. The composers of this time and place, and the music they produced, are also known as the "Dutch" or the "Netherlandish School". 

As national and linguistic boundaries during this period do not correspond with national borders today, the term "Netherlandish" is not meant to refer to the present-day boundaries of the nation known as the Netherlands (or Holland); relatively few of the musicians originated within that region. Instead, the word "Netherlandish" refers to "de Nederlanden", i.e. the Low Countries, roughly corresponding to modern Belgium, Luxembourg, the southern and northern parts of Holland and adjacent portions of northern France. 

During periods of political stability, this was a center of cultural activity for more than two hundred years, although the exact centers shifted location during this time, and by the end of the sixteenth century the focal point of the Western musical world shifted from this region to Italy.

Following are five groups, or generations, that are sometimes distinguished in the Franco-Flemish/Netherlandish school:

• The First generation (1420-1450), dominated by Dufay, Binchois and Antoine Busnois; this group of composers is most often known as the Burgundian School. The origins of the style of the first generation embraces both earlier Burgundian traditions and also Italian and English styles. 
• The Second generation (1450-1485), with Ockeghem as its main exponent, others including Orto, Compère, Prioris, Agricola, Caron, Faugues, Regis and Tinctoris.
• The Third generation (1480-1520): Obrecht, de La Rue, Isaac, Brumel, Févin, Pipelare, Richafort, and most significantly Josquin.
• The Fourth generation (1520-1560): Gombert, Crecquillon, Manchicourt, Arcadelt, Rore, Willaert and Clemens non Papa.
• The Fifth generation (1560-1615/20): Lassus, de Monte, Vaet, Regnart, Luython, Wert, de Macque, and Rogier. By this time, many of the composers of polyphonic music were native to Italy and other countries: the Netherlandish style had naturalized on foreign soil, and become a true European style.