François van Campenhout (5 February 1779 – 24 April 1848) was a Belgian opera singer, conductor and composer. He composed the music for the Belgian national anthem, " La Brabançonne".

Campenhout was born in Brussels, where he studied violin. He worked initially as an office clerk, but soon pursued a career as a musician. After he had been a violist at the Théâtre de la Monnaie (or Muntschouwburg) in Brussels for a while, he started a career as a tenor at the Opera in Ghent. This was the beginning of a successful opera career, which brought him to Brussels, Antwerp, Paris, Amsterdam, The Hague, Lyon and Bordeaux. In 1828, he ended his career as a singer and became conductor in Brussels, where he died in 1848. He is buried at Brussels Cemetery in Evere, Brussels.

Campenhout wrote a large number of works: operas such as Grotius ou le Château de Lovesteyn and Passe-Partout, which were successful, and he also composed ballet music, symphonies and choir music. He wrote the music of the Brabançonne in September 1830, to a text by Alexandre Dechet (Jenneval).

Van Campenhout was a freemason and a member of the Grand Orient of Belgium.

Sources

• VERGAUWEN (David), "Frans Van Campenhout als patriot en vrijmetselaar. Episodes uit het leven van de auteur van de Brabançonne", in: Belgisch Tijdschrift voor Muziekwetenschap, Vol. LXVII, 2013, pp. 115–134.
• La Brabançonne

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