An influential school of Renaissance music. Its name comes from the duchy of Burgundy, that region of region of northeastern France (and including Belgium and the Netherlands) that rivaled the kingdom of France in power and influence, at its height. Music was closely interwoven with daily life in times of peace and war, and was used at marriages, birthdays, banquets, and other ceremonies. Chaplains, instrumentalists, and minstrels accompanied the sovereigns on their campaigns, sang and played at the signing of treaties, and took part in funeral services. On these campaigns, the musicians of the dukes of Burgundy came into close contact with the best musicians in Europe, influencing and in turn, being influenced by such. (The Burgundian School is said to have received from the English composer, John Dunstable, that peculiar contemplative sweetness so striking in their work.) With the financial support of Duke Philip the Good and then Duke Charles the Bold, the Burgundian School flourished.
Guillaume Dufay was the best known musician and composer of the Burgundian School. Dufay was described by his contemporaries as the "moon of all music and the light of all singers." Another, more underappreciated composer and musician was Hayne van Ghizeghem. The primary time period of the Burgundian School's main influence is roughly from 1400 to 1475.