Final answer:
Heinrich Isaac might be considered more like a professional composer than Josquin des Prez because of his ability to manage the business aspects of his career, balancing creativity with practical demands, and likely pleasing a diverse set of patrons, akin to a modern professional composer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question seems to be comparing Heinrich Isaac's approach to composition to that of Josquin des Prez and considering who might be seen more as a 'professional' composer in a modern sense. Without specific historical accounts about Isaac being more of a 'professional composer' than Josquin, we can speculate based on broader historical contexts. In comparison to composers like Berlioz, Strauss, and Wagner, who were known for pushing musical boundaries, the professional composer in the Renaissance period, such as Isaac, might have been recognized for his ability to meet the varied demands of patrons and to adapt his style accordingly.
Emphasizing the professional traits, Isaac was likely adept at working with multiple commissions and navigating criticisms, much like the painter Poussin, who at one point felt overwhelmed by the volume and scrutiny of his work in France before returning to Rome. Isaac, like his colleagues, would have required a balance of creativity and practicality to survive in the competitive musical environments of courts and churches, which often involved pleasing a diverse set of patrons with different tastes and expectations.
Therefore, Isaac could be considered to embody professionalism by successfully managing the business aspects of his career, such as deadlines, demands, and the changing tastes of patrons, just as any modern professional composer would. The comparison to Josquin might imply that Josquin was more inclined to push artistic boundaries, akin to Romantic and later composers who were also known to operate outside of the patrons' specific demands and pursue more personal artistic directions.