This sheet music was probably a traditional melody of the popular repertoire. Johannes Ockeghem arranged it for four voices in the 15th century. It was arranged by other composers like Antoine de Févin, Josquin des Prés, Thomas Crécquillon and Adrian Willaert. They arranged it as polyphonic songs for three to seven voices. Josquin des Prés arranged it for six voices and favored canon movements and imitations. This was a very successful song and it was arranged a lot as a secular song and used a lot in church music during the 15th and the 16th centuries. Josquin des Prés gathered voices with the same ranges by two and the central part is a canon. If you perform it with soloists or a small choir a tenor can perform the third part to preserve the same color and sound balance. The interpretation must be lively. Death is just a symbol in this sheet music.
