Gaetano Brunetti

Score of Brunetti's oboe sextet no. 1 of 1796 (Spanish copy 1800, Biblioteca Palatina, Parma). Like many of his compositions, Brunetti's six late oboe sextets were written for the private entertainment of King Charles IV of Spain and were not eligible for publication during his lifetime.

Gaetano (or Cayetano ) Brunetti (1744 in Fano, Papal States – 16 December 1798, Colmenar de Oreja, Madrid, Spain) was an Italian-born composer who was active in Spain during the reigns of kings Charles III and Charles IV. As well as being musically influential at court, He also became violin teacher to the future Charles IV (then Prince of Asturias), who unlike his father was an avid music lover. In 1788, when Charles IV came to the throne, Brunetti took charge of a newly formed royal ensemble, for which he composed prolifically and also programmed works by European composers of the day, such as Joseph Haydn. little of Brunetti's music was published during his lifetime, thereby largely precluding knowledge of his music for almost two centuries. This catalogue revealed that the U.S. Library of Congress houses almost half of the surviving manuscript scores.