Dunstable, John

Dunstable, John (dŭn`stəbəl), c.1385–1453, English composer. Dunstable is thought to have accompanied his patron, the duke of Bedford, to France. About 60 of his works—nearly all sacred pieces—are extant. He was among the first composers to begin to unify the musical setting of the Mass. Dunstable was the outstanding English composer of his time and influenced composers at the Burgundian court, including Guillaume Dufay and Gilles Binchois. His name is sometimes spelled Dunstaple.

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Dunstable, John

(born c. 1385, England—died Dec. 24, 1453, London) English composer. His life and career are almost completely obscure. After his death he came to be credited with the achievements of all his English contemporaries, including Leonel Power (c. 1380–1445). He left at least 50 compositions, all for three and four voices and almost all sacred. Their full triadic harmony and frequent parallel motion in the voices represented an important innovation that influenced composers such as Guillaume Dufay and Gilles Binchois (c. 1400–60), softening the austerity of 14th-century polyphony.