Son of a town trumpeter, Jacob Obrecht became one of the most prominent composers in Europe in the late fifteenth century. In Born for the Muses, Rob Wegman enlarges our picture of the social and cultural conditions that framed his world, drawing on a wealth of new archival sources and a newly discovered dated portrait that sheds light on his development as a composer. Obrecht's greatest contribution lay in the field of mass composition. In a penetrating sylistic analysis, Wegman treats each of the thirty-odd surviving masses as a historical record, tracing influences and establishing a rich context for the development of Obrecht's musical language. This new assessment of his creative achievement and historical significance entirely changes the face of Obrecht studies and of late fifteenth-century music in general.
Reviews
without doubt the definitive biography of Obrecht..masterful study * Journal of the Royal Musical Association *
a splendid survey of the masses of Jacob Obrecht...he also provides a reevaluation of Obrecht's biography, which includes substantial new material concerning Willem Obrecht (Jacob's father), one of the leading trumpet players of the mid-fifteenth century. In so doing, Wegman provides us with a picture of the background and social context of a 15th-century musical family unique in its richness of detail. * The Historic Brass Society Journal *
Wegman's book represents an enormous stride in Obrecht research and places it on a more solid footing than any previous study...The new biographical information in this study is significant...In this book Wegman creates a vivid, well-documented portrait of a master composer whose life-long serach for security, patronage and professional recognition was ultimately frustrated by early death. * Plainsong and Medieval Music 4.1 *
fine writing...Wegman has brilliantly and imaginatively put forth the most comprehensive and coherent profile of a late fifteen-century composer available to date...We are much in Rob Wegman's debt for a work that will prove central to our understanding of composers and their works at that crucial juncture of the late fifteenth century. * Journal of the American Musicological Society *
Wegman's book represents an enormous stride in Obrecht research and places it on a more solid footing than any previous study. The new biographical information in this study is significant. * Sixteenth Century Journal XXVII/2 (1996) *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198166504
Author Rob C. Wegman
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint Clarendon Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 1g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 157mm * 24mm