[4] Numerous poets and musicians lamented his death, including Erasmus, Guillaume Crétin, Jean Molinet and Josquin, who composed the well-known Nymphes des bois for him.

It is thought that Ockeghem's extant works represent only a small part of his entire oeuvre, including around 14 masses, 20 chansons and fewer than 10 motets—though the exact numbers vary due to attribution uncertainties.

The spelling of Ockeghem's name comes from a supposed autograph of his which survived as late as 1885, and was reproduced by Eugène Giraudet, a historian in Tours;[6] the document has since been lost.

[14] This church was a distinguished establishment, and it was likely here that Ockeghem became familiar with the English compositional style, which some suggest influenced musical practices on the continent in the late 15th century.

Between 1446 and 1448 Ockeghem served, along with singer and composer Jean Cousin, at the court of Charles I, Duke of Bourbon in Moulins, now in central France.

[1] Around 1452 he moved to Paris where he served as maestro di cappella to the French court, as well as treasurer of the collegiate church of St. Martin, at Tours.

[1] In addition to serving at the French court – both for Charles VII and Louis XI[1] – he held posts at Notre Dame de Paris and at St. Benoît.

[8][18] Ockeghem would sometimes place borrowed material in the lowest voice, such as in the Missa Caput, one of three masses written in the mid-15th century based on that fragment of chant from the English Sarum Rite.

[1] Ockeghem influenced Josquin des Prez and the subsequent generation of Netherlandish composers; he was known throughout Europe for his expressive music and his technical skill.

[15][neutrality is disputed] Ockeghem's use of wide-ranging and rhythmically active bass lines was distinctive among composers in the Netherlandish Schools, and may be because this was his voice range.