The enormous production of the Franco-Flemish composer Roland de Lassus (1532-1594), over 1,200 works in all categories, and their extraordinarily high quality, make him one of the greatest masters of Renaissance music.

Roland de Lassus, also known as Orlando di Lasso, was born in Mons, where he sang as a chorister in the church of St-Nicolas. Because of his unusual talent and beautiful voice, he was kidnaped three times for other choirs. After the third attempt, in 1544, his parents gave up the 12-year-old boy to Ferdinand Gonzaga, Viceroy of Sicily, who retained Lassus in his service for 6 years, taking him to Palermo and later to Milan.

Formative Years in Italy

In 1550 Lassus went to Naples, where he lived in the household of the Marchese della Terza. Toward the end of 1552 he proceeded to Rome, staying with Antonio Altovito, Archbishop of Florence. Lassus was choirmaster of St. John Lateran from...