Before Dufay's death the Gallo-Belgic school began to be overshadowed by that of the Netherlands, with which the art of writing unaccompanied church counterpoint reached its climax. To this school we must now turn our attention. Chapter IV The Golden Age of Church Counterpoint The great Netherlands school--Okeghem and the mechanics of music--Riddles in tone--The advent of pure beauty--Work of Josquin des Prés--Attempts at expression by Willaert and others--Secular music--Orlando Lasso and his beautiful works. At the period of musical history which we have now reached, the Dutch, as I have had occasion to say in another work, "led the world in painting, in liberal arts, and in commercial enterprise. Their skill in mechanics was unequalled, and we naturally expect to see their musicians further the development of musical technic." The Dutch musicians at first revelled in the exercise of mechanical ingenuity in the construction of intricate contrapuntal music. In the first period of their great school they acquired by such exercise so great a mastery of the materials of their art that in the second period they began to make serious attempts at writing beautiful music for beauty's sake. In the third period the possibilities of writing something different from church music began to be developed, and we find the Dutch masters attempting the description in tones of external phenomena by the process called tone-painting. This period also saw secular music taken into the fold of art, and began the production of madrigals and other secular songs. In the fourth period the dry old science of counterpoint was so completely conquered that the composers of the time were able to make it the vehicle of the purest expression of religious devotion the world has yet found, and church music passed through its golden age. On account of these facts let us consider this great school, which had more influence on the development of music than any other school in the history of music, under the following heads:-- NETHERLANDS SCHOOL (1425-1625 A. D.). _First Period_ (1425-1512).--Perfection of contrapuntal technics. Chief masters: Okeghem, Hobrecht, Brumel. _Second Period_ (1455-1526).--Attempts at pure beauty. Chief master, Josquin des Prés. _Third Period_ (1495-1572).--Development of tone-painting and secular music. Chief masters: Gombert, Willaert, Goudimel, Di Rore, Jannequin, Arcadelt. _Fourth Period_ (1520-1625).--Counterpoint made subservient to expression of religious feeling. Chief masters: Orlando Lasso, Swelinck, De Monte.