Josquin in Italy In the 16th century, the motto "i galli cantano" (the roosters sing) circulated in Italy. This alluded to the preeminence of the "transalpine" Franco-Flemish musicians who were summoned to the peninsula to instruct princes and prelates in the compositional and performance techniques of vocal polyphony. Josquin Desprez, "Giosquino" for the Italians, was the emblematic figure: apart from France, he was in the service of Cardinal Ascanio Sforza both in Milan and Rome (1484, 1498) and was active in the papal chapel (1489-1495) as well as in Este chapel (1503-1504). On the 500th anniversary of the composer's death (1521), the Odhecaton ensemble aims to retrace Josquin's Italian itinerary with the "Missa Hercules dux Ferrariæ," dedicated to Ercole I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, and a selection of motets commissioned by Italian patrons. In the contributions of "The Gesualdo Six" in the more solemn pieces, the vocal ensemble brings the number of singers to 22 - a number close to the forces of the chapels in Rome and Ferrara, allowing for new sonic imaginings of polyphony in the 15th and early 16th centuries.