Jacques Arcadelt (c. 1507–1568), a Franco-Flemish composer born in Namur, was the most influential figure in the early development of the madrigal. Active first in Italy (Florence, then Rome) and later in France, he became renowned for secular vocal music while also composing sacred works. By the late 1520s he was in Florence, possibly working alongside Philippe Verdelot. From 1539 he sang in the papal choir in Rome, joining the Sistine Chapel and serving as magister puerorum. His first book of four-voice madrigals (1538–39) was published over 45 times, making it the most reprinted madrigal collection of the 16th century. In total he wrote about 250 madrigals, 125 French chansons, 24 motets, three masses, and settings of the Magnificat and Lamentations.Arcadelt’s style represents the “classic” phase of the madrigal: melodious, diatonic, with clear four-part writing, balanced homophony and polyphony, and restrained text expression—ideal for amateur singers. His famous Il bianco e dolce cigno epitomises this graceful, durable sweetness. Later composers and printers treated his work as a model; reprints and intabulations continued for over a century.In 1551 he returned to France, serving as choirmaster to Cardinal Charles de Guise and the French royal chapel under Henry II and Charles IX. There he focused on chansons and sacred music, publishing through Le Roy and Ballard. Arcadelt died in Paris on 14 October 1568. His ability to blend Franco-Flemish craftsmanship with Italian lyricism gave the madrigal its early maturity and ensured his lasting influence.