Johann Christian Fischer (c. 1733 – 29 April 1800) was a German composer and

oboist An oboist (formerly hautboist) is a musician who plays the oboe or any oboe family instrument, including the oboe d'amore, cor anglais or English horn, bass oboe and piccolo oboe or oboe musette. The following is a list of notable past and pres ...

, one of the best-known oboe soloists in Europe during the 1770s. Employed as a music copyist and theatre director for the

Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II divided the Duchy of Mecklenburg between Schwerin and Strelitz. Ruled by the successors of the Nikloting Hous ...

Ludwigslust Ludwigslust () is a central castle town of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, 40 km south of Schwerin. Since 2011 it has been part of the Ludwigslust-Parchim district. Ludwigslust is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. The former royal r ...

, Fischer is now credited with the unique ''Symphony with Eight Obbligato

Timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionall ...

'', formerly attributed to

Johann Wilhelm Hertel Johann Wilhelm Hertel (9 October 1727 – 14 June 1789) was a German composer, harpsichord and violin player. He was born in Eisenach, into a family of musicians. His father, Johann Christian Hertel (1697–1754) was ''Konzertmeister'' (from 1 ...

, court composer at Schwerin. He spent some time in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

, but left after the Prussian occupation in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

for extensive concertizing tours, ending in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where he was active as a performer, composer, and a teacher, and introduced the Continental narrow-bore model of oboe that replaced the bright and penetrating straight-topped English type. In London Fischer joined the largely German "Queen's Band" of George III's German Queen,

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...

. Fischer was a contemporary of

Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists of ...

, and in fact, they were friends. Fischer formed an attachment with Gainsborough's daughter Mary ("Molly") while carried on flirtation with Gainsborough's other daughter Margaret ("Peggy"). In February 1780, Fischer married Mary, but the marriage only lasted 8 months due to their discord and Fischer's deceit. Fischer published several teaching manuals for the oboe, with varying titles: ''The Compleat Tutor for the Hautboy'' (''ca'' 1770), ''New and Complete Instructions for the Oboe or Hoboy'' (''ca'' 1780) and ''The Hoboy Preceptor'' (1800). Among his students was composer and oboist Charles J. Suck. An etching/aquatint ''A Sunday concert'' by Charles Loraine Smith, published 4 June 1782,National Portrait Gallery, London
/ref> shows a distinguished musical group gathered round a harpsichord, with Fischer and

Charles Burney Charles Burney (7 April 1726 – 12 April 1814) was an English music historian, composer and musician. He was the father of the writers Frances Burney and Sarah Burney, of the explorer James Burney, and of Charles Burney, a classicist a ...

among them.

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

composed a set of ''Twelve Variations in C on a Menuett of Johann Christian Fischer'' (K.179 89a.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Johann Christian 1730s births 1800 deaths 18th-century German composers 18th-century German male musicians German classical oboists Male oboists German male composers