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Fortuna desperata is a secular Italian song, possibly originally by Busnois, (but others credit Antoine Brumel
Antoine Brumel

Antoine Brumel was a France composer. He was one of the first renowned French members of the Franco-Flemish School school of the Renaissance music, and, after Josquin Desprez, was one of the most influential composers of his generation....
). It was used by many other authors in the following 75 years, for both variations and cantus firmus
Cantus firmus

In music, a cantus firmus is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphony composition .The plural of this Latin term is , though one occasionally sees the corrupt form canti firmi....
 masses, and over 30 such reworkings are known. Words in the original Italian and in English and German are available at Choral Wiki .

The first verse is
'Fortuna desperata
Iniqua e maledecta, maledecta
Che de tal dona electa
La fama hai denigrata.'


translated as

'Desperate fate,
iniquitous and maledicted
who blackened the good name
of a woman beyond compare.'


Amongst the more well-known versions of the song are the 3-voice version by Busnois, its reworking for 6 voices by Alexander Agricola
Alexander Agricola

Alexander Agricola was a Dutch School composer of the Renaissance music. A prominent member of the Grande chapelle, the Habsburg musical establishment, he was a renowned composer in the years around 1500, and his music was widely distributed throughout Europe....
, a 3-part instrumental version possibly by Josquin, and a 3-voice version by Heinrich Isaac
Heinrich Isaac

Heinrich Isaac was a Franco-Flemish School composer of the Renaissance music, of south Netherlandish origin. He is regarded as one of the most significant contemporaries of Josquin des Prez, and had an especially large influence on the subsequent development of music in Germany....
.






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Fortuna desperata is a secular Italian song, possibly originally by Busnois, (but others credit Antoine Brumel
Antoine Brumel

Antoine Brumel was a France composer. He was one of the first renowned French members of the Franco-Flemish School school of the Renaissance music, and, after Josquin Desprez, was one of the most influential composers of his generation....
). It was used by many other authors in the following 75 years, for both variations and cantus firmus
Cantus firmus

In music, a cantus firmus is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphony composition .The plural of this Latin term is , though one occasionally sees the corrupt form canti firmi....
 masses, and over 30 such reworkings are known. Words in the original Italian and in English and German are available at Choral Wiki .

The first verse is
'Fortuna desperata
Iniqua e maledecta, maledecta
Che de tal dona electa
La fama hai denigrata.'


translated as

'Desperate fate,
iniquitous and maledicted
who blackened the good name
of a woman beyond compare.'


Amongst the more well-known versions of the song are the 3-voice version by Busnois, its reworking for 6 voices by Alexander Agricola
Alexander Agricola

Alexander Agricola was a Dutch School composer of the Renaissance music. A prominent member of the Grande chapelle, the Habsburg musical establishment, he was a renowned composer in the years around 1500, and his music was widely distributed throughout Europe....
, a 3-part instrumental version possibly by Josquin, and a 3-voice version by Heinrich Isaac
Heinrich Isaac

Heinrich Isaac was a Franco-Flemish School composer of the Renaissance music, of south Netherlandish origin. He is regarded as one of the most significant contemporaries of Josquin des Prez, and had an especially large influence on the subsequent development of music in Germany....
. See for several others.

Amongst the mass-settings are those by Josquin and Obrecht
Obrecht

Obrecht is the name of three notable people:* Jacob Obrecht , Dutch School composer of the Renaissance* Hermann Obrecht , Swiss politician* Andr? Obrecht , French executioner...
.