Francesco Antonio Rosetti (1750–1792), born Franz Anton Rösler, changed to Italianate form by 1773, was a classical era composer and double bass player, a contemporary of Haydn and Mozart. He was born about 1750 in Northern Bohemia. In 1773, Rosetti left his native country and found employment in the Hofkapelle of Prince Kraft Ernst of Oettingen-Wallerstein whom he served for sixteen years, becoming Kapellmeister in 1785. In July 1789, Rosetti left Wallerstein to accept the post of Kapellmeister to the Duke Friedrich Franz I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in Ludwigslust, where he died in service of the duke at the age of 42 years. In late 1781, he was granted leave to spend 5 months in Paris. Many of the finest ensembles in the city performed his works. Rosetti arranged for his music to be published, including a set of six symphonies published in 1782. He returned to his post, assured of recognition as an accomplished composer.
Rosetti wrote over 400 compositions, primarily instrumental music including many symphonies and concertos, which were widely published. Rosetti also composed a significant number of vocal and choral works, particularly in the last few years of his life. Among these are German oratorios including Der sterbende Jesu and Jesus in Gethsemane (1790). Rosetti is perhaps best known today for his horn concertos, which Mozart scholar H. C. Robbins Landon suggests (in The Mozart Companion) may have been a model for Mozart’s four horn concertos.