Jacob Obrecht (1450-1505), a Dutch composer, was one of the most important composers in the dominant Netherlandish tradition of the 15th century.

Jacob Obrecht also spelled Hobrecht, was born on St. Cecilia's Day, 1450, in either Bergen op Zoom or Sicily. The information and the uncertainty come from his motet Mille quingentis, a lament on the death of his father, Willem, in which he states that he was born on this day when his father was crossing Sicily. Other evidence links the family to Bergen op Zoom and gives the date 1450.

Obrecht spent most of his childhood in the Netherlands, where he must have received his education. As with many of the events of his life, the circumstances of his education are unknown. He may have received a portion of his musical training from his father, who was a city trumpeter in Ghent. He must also have attended a...