He worked for the Duke Ercole II d'Este . He composed masses , motets , chansons , and lots of madrigals , some of which were about things that happened in the court at Ferrara . This was the beginning of an extraordinarly productive portion of his life ; while in the service of Duke Ercole II d'Este he wrote masses , motets , chansons , and of course madrigals , many of which were topical , some involving matters concerning the court itself .