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As one of the most artistically fruitful eras in history, the Renaissance produced an abundance of composers. But who were its finest exponents? Here is our guide to the 10 best of the bunch.<\/p>\n
1. Orlando de Lassus<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section><\/div>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section><\/div>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section><\/div>\n 8. Orlando Gibbons<\/strong><\/p>\n Born towards the end of the 16th century, Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625) is often seen \u2013 like Monteverdi \u2013 as someone who stood at the crossroads of the Renaissance and Baroque eras. A musician of the Chapel Royal,\u00a0 he cultivated the traditional polyphonic style in the court of King James I and would in all likelihood have secured an even greater legacy had he not died, probably of a brain haemorrhage, at the age of only 41.<\/p>\n For a long time he was mostly remembered as a composer of sacred music, with the 19th musicologist and composer Frederick Ouseley dubbing him the \u2018English Palestrina\u2019. \u00a0Since the early music revival, however, more attention has been paid to Gibbons\u2019s secular works, in particular his madrigals \u2013 a genre that he did much to develop, building upon the foundations laid by his predecessor William Byrd. Most famous among his works is his five-part verse anthem \u2018This is the Record of John\u2019 and his beautifully serene five-voice madrigal \u2018The Silver Swan\u2019.<\/p>\n