Paolo Girolamo Besozzi (17 April 1704 – 1778) was an Italian

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

virtuoso and

bassoonist The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuos ...

who devoted his life to the study of the bassoon and oboe. He was born in

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

. Together with his brothers

Giuseppe Giuseppe is the Italian form of the given name Joseph, from Latin Iōsēphus from Ancient Greek Ἰωσήφ (Iōsḗph), from Hebrew יוסף. It is the most common name in Italy and is unique (97%) to it. The feminine form of the name is Giusep ...

and

Alessandro Besozzi Alessandro Besozzi (born 22 July 1702 in Parma – died 26 July 1793 in Turin) was an Italian composer and virtuoso oboist.From a letter dated 30 July 1777 written by Quirino Gasparini, maestro di cappella of the cathedral of Turin, sent to Fath ...

, he took part from June 1714 in the ducal hautboy band ''Guardia Irlandese,'' created in 1702 by Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma, and remaining in service until his nephew

Antonio Besozzi Antonio Besozzi (1714–1781) was an Italian oboist and composer and also member of an extensive family of musicians from the eighteenth-century Naples. He composed several concertos for oboe and a few quintets, which he called "sonatas", for ...

succeeded him on 30 December 1727. Around 1730 he moved back to Turin and became a member of the chapel court orchestra along with his brother Alessandro. During his stay in Paris with Alessandro in 1735, he worked on the ''Sonata for Bassoon and Basso Continuo in B flat major'' and five other ''Sonatas Trio for two violins and violoncello,'' published around 1750 by Canavasse. According to a letter of

Leopold Mozart Johann Georg Leopold Mozart (November 14, 1719 – May 28, 1787) was a German composer, violinist and theorist. He is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook ''Versuch einer gründlichen ...

dated 28 May 1778, he would have died in Turin in 1778.

References

1704 births 1778 deaths Italian Classical-period composers Italian male classical composers Italian Baroque composers Italian oboists Male oboists 18th-century Italian composers 18th-century Italian male musicians {{italy-composer-stub