Joseph Ignaz Leitgeb
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Joseph Ignaz Leitgeb (or Leutgeb) (October 8, 1732 - February 27, 1811) was a virtuoso Salzburg-born horn player and close friend of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
It is generally believed that the Mozart Horn Concertos were composed specifically for Leitgeb in order to showcase his musical ability. Mozart put light-hearted comments in the margins, egging his friend on. All were written for natural horn.
Leitgeb was a wealthy cheese merchant and was able to afford to pay Mozart for compositions, as well as lending money to the sometimes impecunious composer.
Recent scholarship dates the horn concerti in the order 2, 3, 4, 1, with no. 1 (K. 412) being the last composed. This piece is less demanding than the others, and this is believed to reflect the decline of Leitgeb's prowess either with age or with his music being increasingly relegated to a sideline.
