Perhaps best known as the author of The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli walked the streets of Florence 500 years ago. He was a true Renaissance man–a philosopher, playwright, diplomat, and a composer. Along with the carnival songs Machiavelli wrote for the Medici family and music for his comedic stage play The Mandrake, Folger Consort performs works by Francesco Bendusi, Josquin des Prez, Heinrich Isaac, and native composers of Northern Italy.