In the 15^th century, the court of the powerful Duchy of Burgundy was the most brilliant of its time. The first truly Renaissance court, it established the standard of courtly life for centuries to come. This hub of civilization welcomed outside influences and was instrumental in reconciling the North and South of France. The dukes Philip the Good and Charles the Bold, both great music lovers, took such musicians as Guillaume Dufay, Gilles Binchois and Antoine Busnois into their service. These composers of the early Franco-Flemish school laid the foundations of counterpoint, which up until the time of Bach was considered by Western music to be the essential underpinning of musical composition.