List of compositions by Josquin des Prez

The French composer Josquin des Prez was among the most prolific of his time, writing in genres that included masses, motets, chansons and frottole. Much of his output is sacred music, in which he cultivated and developed a highly sophisticated style of complex polyphony. Active during the high Renaissance, he was the central figure of the Franco-Flemish School.^[1]

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. The German editor Georg Forster summed up the situation admirably in 1540 when he wrote, "I remember a certain eminent man saying that, now that Josquin is dead, he is putting out more works than when he was alive."^[2] Thus, the authenticity of many of the works listed below is disputed on stylistic grounds or problems with sources or both. This thorny issue has been taken up vigorously in the now nearly complete New Josquin Edition (NJE).