Celebrating the 500th anniversary of Josquin des Prez's death with a series of participatory events.

September 7, 2021–December 14, 2021

Conductor Harold Rosenbaum cordially invites you to commemorate the legacy of Josquin des Prez by participating in the complete catalog of his works*.

Full details about the repertoire & tickets

Read more about why we care

The Franco-Flemish composer Josquin des Prez stands as a towering figure within Western music. His contemporaries considered him the greatest composer of his time. He composed instrumental and vocal, sacred and secular, Latin and vernacular works. Martin Luther himself called Josquin “the master of notes.” He was born in France but worked in the courts of Milan, Ferrara, and even the Vatican. He was the first composer to have a book of printed music dedicated to a single composer. Josquin also may very well have been the first “textbook” composer; fourteen music treatises during the 1500s included examples of his music, some even complete works, all of which serve as exemplars of compositional techniques and methods. His reputation? Internationally renown in his lifetime and posthumously. His works? Revered, emulated, and studied.

In commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Josquin’s death, Dr. Harold Rosenbaum has chosen to bring the complete choral output of the composer to you, but not in the way you might think. Instead of attending a series of concerts, you participate in the music making by singing and playing. You make this monumental project possible in the immaculate acoustic space of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church.

The Details

When: 14 Tuesday evenings starting September 7 and finishing December 14, 2021 

Where: Trinity Lutheran Church of Manhattan, 164 West 100th Street (at Amsterdam Avenue), Manhattan

Tickets: $10 per evening (7 pm–8:30 pm) 

Music to pick up at the door: $8; Download PDFs for free here.
If you are unable to download your own music, you must purchase a copy in advance.
Purchase with your ticket on this page

Last three events: Buy two get one free for online sales!

Buy Package here

Buy Single Tickets

Non-performing audience attendees also welcome

Covid-19 Protocols:
Proof of vaccination and a mask will be required for entry. Click here for our full Covid Protocols.

Disclaimer: An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 and other viruses or bacteria that cause sickness exists in any public space where people are present. We cannot guarantee that you will not be exposed to such pathogens during your attendance at our event.

By attending our events in person, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to infectious disease and hereby waive all potential claims relating to such risks.

Performance information:

All performances will be at pitch 440.

Instruments:
– Bowed or plucked strings
– Early winds and early brass (will be spaced from other musicians at the front of the church)
    – Instrumentalists must bring their own music stand.

Email us with any questions

Many thanks to the following for their assistance with this project:

    Alexander Blachly – scores/editions
    William Kempster – scores
    Pastor Heidi Neumark – location
    Vincent Rone – program description and notes
    Sig Rosen – scores
    Richard Sherr – advisor 

* The difficulties in compiling a works list for Josquin cannot be overstated. Because of his immense prestige in the early sixteenth century, many scribes and publishers did not resist the temptation of attributing anonymous or otherwise spurious works to Josquin. (Source)

"The authenticity of many of the works over the centuries has been disputed on stylistic grounds or because of problems with sources, or both. After consulting with leading Josquin experts, I have decided that every work presented in our Josquin 2021 project is either by the master himself, or is virtually certain to be his." — Harold Rosenbaum