we hardly have any original manuscripts of dunstaple’s music. england was a very musical country at the time, but almost all that music was destroyed between 1536 and 1540 during the dissolution of the monasteries when henry viii was ruling. most of dunstaple’s works which survive were works which were found on the continent, mostly in north italy. this shows that he must have been famous throughout europe. he influenced dufay and binchois. the flemish composer and music theorist tinctoris wrote in 1476 that he was the most important musician of new music which had started in england.