Pierre de La Rue
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Pierre de la Rue was born in 1452 in Tournai. Despite the relatively late date of his compositional activity, and resulting speculation that many early works may be lost, La Rue was one of the most prolific composers of the period. Perhaps due to his late start, or lost early sources, identifying trends in La Rue's compositional development is difficult. His style appears fully mature almost instantly, with a wide variety of techniques obvious throughout his output. He used canon (a general law, rule, principle, or criterion by which something is judged) extensively, most spectacularly in the six-voice canonic mass “Missa Ave sanctissima Maria” as well as imitation, cantus firmus, ostinato, homophony, and word-painting.