Crispin van Stappen (approx. 1465 -10 March 1532 in Cambrai, France) was a Dutch singer (tenor) and composer of the Renaissance and probably originates from Flanders. In old music printing (mensural notation) he just is called Chrispinus.
From 1485-1488 he was a “cotidiane “singer and singing teacher for choir boys at St. Nicholas Church in Brussels. After his employment at the Sainte Chapelle in Paris he became master cantus figurati in Padua (cathedral) in 1492 and there in 1498 Maestro di cappella for six months.
At the same time he was a singer and composer in the papal chapel in Rome from 1493-1507. It has been chronicled that from 1498 on he was active as a singer in ` s-Hertogenbosch (St. John's Cathedral) and belonged to the resident "Marienbruderschaft" (congregation). In 1504 he received the men's' choral laureateship at the cathedral in Cambrai (France) and was responsible et al., for recruitment and the selection of new singers (also for the Pope). In addition it has been chronicled that he made a “pilgrimage" to Rome in 1521, Padua and Loreto and from 1524-25 was a conductor at Basilica della Santa Casa in Loreto. He died on 10 March 1532 in Cambrai (France).
Thanks to the Italian printer Ottavio Dei Petrucci (beginning of music printing with moveable type characters) works from Chrispin van Stappen of religious and worldly character are preserved.
The music historian August Wilhelm Ambros (1816-1876) seems to have known some scores, because he writes about it: “few considered him as being at the least a well-trained musician”.
