Guillaume Dufay 1400-1474

French composer

Dufay did not receive formal training in music but rather learned music first as a choirboy and later as an adult singer in the cathedral of Cambrai, France. Like many artists and musicians, he moved to Italy where many of the powerful families such as the Borgias and the d'Estes supported art and music. In 1420, Dufay was employed by the Malateste family in Pesaro, Italy. In 1428, he moved to Rome where he became a singer in the papal choir--the most famous musical organization in Europe. Later, he composed music for Niccolo III, Marquis of Ferrara, a member of the powerful and art loving d'Este family.

One of his most important compositions, Nuper Rosarum Flores, was composed for the dedication in 1436 of Brunelleschi's dome for the Cathedral of Florence.

He was a contemporary of the noted English composer, John Dunstable. He influenced later musicians such as the Dutch composer, Johannes Ocheghem.