Background
Champion was born in or near Liège, where he probably received his early training.
Champion was born in or near Liège, where he probably received his early training.
Little information survives regarding his early life, and the first record relating to his involvement with Philip"s Grande chapelle, the Habsburg chapel choir, dates from 13 November 1501, prior to Philip"s first trip to Spain. The setting of De profundis, long attributed to Josquin, is relatively well-known: for example, Grout and Palisca"s History of Western, often used in college music history courses, gives it as an example of Josquin"s late style.
He was a member of the renowned musical establishments of the Habsburg court, including the chapels of Philip I of Castile and Charles V. While with Philip"s chapel he was a close associate of composers such as Pierre de Louisiana Rue, Marbrianus de Orto, and Alexander Agricola.