John Warrack, author of 6 Great Composers, stated: “Any study of a composer, however brief, must have as its sole object the encouragement of the reader to a greater enjoyment of music " (Warrack, p.2). The composers and musicians of the Renaissance period need to be discussed and studied so that listeners, artists and readers can appreciate and understand the beginnings of the theory and of the musical form. The reader can also understand the driving force of the composer, be it sacred or secular, popularity or religious growth. To begin to understand musical composition it is necessary to start from the birth, or rebirth of music and the composers who created the great change. The historical Renaissance period occurred during the 15th and 16th centuries. Renaissance in its basic definition means rebirth. According to Merriam Webster, renaissance formally means “a movement or period of vigorous artistic and intellectual activity”. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary). Renaissance is the title given to the period of great changes in music and art. The Renaissance period ushered in a culture of music that the public could enjoy. Above all, it was a period that encouraged musicians and composers to create music and take risks with voices, instruments and notes. The Renaissance period is primarily known for its changes in the education of musicians. Both composers and musicians were trained in choral schools held in churches. Music theory, singing, and academic courses such as grammar and mathematics were taught. Several famous composers were educated in these institutions. One of those who profited from such training was Guillaume Dufay. Mowen 2Guillaume Dufay was born the illegitimate son of a priest near Brussels. It is at the center of cards, madrigals and instrumental music for viola and keyboard. Before his death in 1623, Byrd composed 140 keyboard pieces, three Latin masses and one English mass. The researchers state that “Byrd's influence on English music was profound (Matthews, Thompson, p.282). William Byrd, Thomas Tallis, Tomas Luis de Victoria, Orlande de Lassus, Giovanni da Palestrina, Josquin de Prez, Johannes Ockeghem and Guillaume Dufay helped shed light on the dark ages of music and the arts. These men and many others ushered in a culture of appreciation of Mowen7. Thanks to these composers and musicians, music was appreciated by the public and revered by the church. Because of their creativity and their willingness to take musical risks, these composers were the fathers of the Renaissance, of the rebirth, of the life of vigorous and intellectual activity, of the beginning of music.