Lambert de Sayve was born in Liège and became a pupil of the great Philippus de Monte. Finding employment at the Imperial Chapel in Vienna in 1562, he was at the starting point of a brilliant career. By the end of his life he was master of music at the court of the Emperor. In 1612, he wrote his Sacrae Symphoniae which was highly regarded by Michael Praetorius. De Sayve’s impressive 16 voiced Missa Dominus regnavit, full of colour and massive chords, predates the great polyphonic masses by von Biber.