Leutgeb, Joseph (Ignaz)

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Leutgeb, Joseph (Ignaz)

Leutgeb, Joseph (Ignaz), Austrian horn player; b. probably in Salzburg, c. 1745; d. Vienna, Feb. 27, 1811. He became first horn in the orch. of the Salzburg archbishop in 1770, and also made appearances in Paris, Vienna, Milan, and other music centers. After settling in Vienna, he became a cheesemonger but continued to play the horn until 1792. He was a close friend of Mozart, who wrote a number of works for him, including the horn concertos K. 417, 447, and 495. Although Mozart’s autographs of many of the horn parts make Leutgeb appear an incompetent from the humorous asides he made (e.g., “Thank Heaven, that’s enough” and “You ass”), independent reports of Leutgeb’s playing praise him highly.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire