The Greatest 16th Century Musicians
Ethan Hayes
Updated on January 17, 2026
Birthdate: 1450 AD
Birthplace: Flanders, Belgium
Died: March 26, 1517
Remembered especially for his contribution towards the development of German music, Heinrich Isaac was a leading fifteenth-century composer, belonging to the Franco-Flemish school. A prolific composer, he wrote numerous masses, motets and songs in French, German and Italian, all the while maintaining a close tie with the Habsburg Court, which helped to popularize polyphonic style of the Netherlands in Germany.
