Vinders is not one of the better-known composers of the early sixteenth century, but this sacred motet for seven voices demonstrates that he was a first-rate contrapuntist. At no point do the seven melodies sound strained in order to fit with the idea of counterpoint. Everything about the piece is a superb model of musical understanding. The imitative counterpoint flows effortlessly, with no surprising bumps in the phrasing in order to accommodate another line of the harmonic atmosphere as a whole. Though these achievements point to a master who deserves special attention, the real success of this work is in its poignant strength of feeling toward its subject matter. The text concerns the death of Josquin, and laments the death of this early-sixteenth century artist in a manner that preserves the impact of this event upon his contemporaries. Few composers in the Western canon have died to such a vigorous outpouring of artistic emotion. Josquin is still an important memory for music lovers, but if musical documentation such as O mors inevitabilis can be taken literally as describing the feelings towards the composer during his time, his death can only be regarded as catastrophic. Ultimately, Vinders does not leave the listener with his own obvious distress, and in this poem God is begged to look kindly upon the deceased Josquin. This approach differs from Gombert's motet, Musae Jovis, which demonstrates genuine despair. While the latter work is indisputably a masterpiece, Vinders' motet is very good, and that can sometimes be an especially revealing kind of artwork for getting to know a musical period better. If stopping slightly short of genius, this piece reveals what genuinely good composers could do during this period, and how their heartfelt emotions can still be felt by listeners in ensuing centuries.

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