Willaert is among the most influential figures in musical history. He studied with Mouton and sang in the court of Cardinal Ippolito I d'Este. He apparently traveled with Ippolito to Hungary in 1517 after having served in Ferrara. By 1527 he was in service to St. Mark's in Venice. He stayed there the remainder of his life; though it was not one of the musical centers of Europe, Willaert's presence there helped to keep Venice artistically vital. He was "the" composer between Josquin and Palestrina and Lassus who prolifically composed in diverse genres including sacred music, French chansons and instrumental music. Of the masses which he composed, all of them early works, the influence of Josquin and Mouton are apparent. For example, "Mente tota" was a six-voiced mass composed for words by Josquin. Some of the publications for Willaert were the first publications devoted to a single musician. He published over twenty settings of hymns in polyphonic settings in 1542 and also wrote a collection of polyphonic psalms for true double choruses and an occasional antiphonal or responsorial composition, 1550. Over one hundred and seventy of his motets survive including four-voiced settings encompassing a comprehensive liturgical compass. Willaert employed five voices for commemorative events or for the celebration of his patrons and six voice motets were scored as canon often forsaking the cantus firmus. Chansons and madrigals were also among Willaert's compositions and he is considered to be one of the first if not the first madrigalist along with Verdelot with whom he had a close association. Among the many students whom Willaert taught were de Rore and Zarlino. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi