As a true Renaissance Humanist ruler, Matthias Corvinus was open to discovering and introducing foreign cultures and customs at his court. Music was of high importance among the arts in the royal court, and Matthias was determined to employ Europe's best players and composers. His second marriage to Beatrix, a queen of Italian descent who played the harp herself, only strenghtened these ambitions.

During the decades of Matthias' rule, fashion dictated to hire musicians from the Duchy of Burgundy, with composers copying and mixing the Burgundy style with their own. Hungary was lucky enough to have three distinct musical impressions: that of the Low Countries, Italy, and Hungary. These influences create a particularly beautiful harmony in the works of Pietro Bono, Pierre Vidal, Johannes Stocken, Clemens non Papa and others as performed by the Custos Consort.