( b Mannheim, bap. 2 May 1752; d Berlin, 16 Dec 1790). German oboist and composer. He played in the Mannheim court orchestra and travelled widely. He was one of the finest oboists of his day. His compositions include oboe concertos, ballet music (for London) and chamber works. His wife Franziska Lebrun [née Danzi] (1756-91), the leading soprano at the Mannheim court opera (later at Munich), toured with him; she composed violin sonatas. Of their children, Sophie [Dülken] (1781-after 1815) became a well-known pianist, and Rosine (1783-1855) a singer and actress. The horn player and composer Jean Lebrun (1759- c 1809), a Frenchman, is unrelated to them.

The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.