Die brünlein die da fliessen

Heinrich Isaac was a highly influential composer of the late Renaissance, known for his masterful chansons and sacred music. This secular German song, Die brünlein die da fliessen, is set for three voices (soprano, tenor, and bass). Its text describes the simple pleasures of life, encouraging the listener to drink from flowing streams and, more playfully, to wink at a steady lover and signal them with a glance and a tap of the foot. The composer acknowledges that it is a difficult discipline for one to have to avoid their beloved, suggesting a slightly melancholic undertone beneath the chanson's otherwise light-hearted surface. Isaac's setting is characteristic of the German Lied tradition of the period.