Missa Se Face Ay Pale.
Although the specifics of his origin are unknown, Guillaume Dufay was most likely born around 1400 in the area around Cambrai. He first appears in the written record in the documents from the Cambrai cathedral, where he is listed as a choirboy, named Willelmus, from the years 1409 to 1412. During this time, Dufay learned the techniques of composition from performing and copying music. Like many other composers of his day, Dufay moved to Italy early in his career because it was the big place for music during this time. Dufay spent more than twenty five years in Italy. While in Italy, he received a very good education. "He was exceptionally educated, having attended a cathedral school and received a degree in canon law from the University of Bologna. He was appointed to influential offices in the church, not because of his music--although he was greatly admired as a composer--but because of his learning" (). .
He also served some of the most important Patrons of the day and learned from some of the brightest minds of the Renaissance. One of the families he served was the wealthy Malesta family of Pearso, for whom he wrote numerous works. Later in his career, Dufay served in the papal chapels in Rome, Florence, and Bologna. Dufay spent his later years in Cambrai where he worked as cannon of the cathedral until his death in 1474. .
Dufay lived in a period of great artistic awakening in Europe. This transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance saw incredible creative growth in nearly all artistic areas, from painting to literature to, of course, music. Dufay was an important figure in ushering in the new creative age, the Renaissance, and has become widely recognized for his role in the development of Western music. Dufay's music flows more smoothly than the characteristically complex rhythmic textures of the late medieval period, and he is known for having graceful melodies and a compelling sense of direction.