1766 in music - Definition

See also: 1765 in music, other events of 1766, 1767 in music, list of years in music.

Events

• Joseph Haydn becomes Kapellmeister to the Esterházys. The orchestra is increased to 22 players.
• Niccola Piccinni is invited to Paris by Queen Marie Antoinette.
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composes the first act of an oratorio, Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots, to be completed by Michael Haydn and Anton Cajetan Adlgasser.

Popular music

• None Listed

Opera

• La Canterina, with music by Domenico Scarlatti and libretto by Girolamo Gigli

Classical music

• Capel Bond - Six Concertos in Seven Parts
• Joseph Haydn - Great Mass in E flat

Births

• January 10 - Louis Massonneau, composer
• February 24 - Samuel Wesley, organist and composer
• March 28 - Joseph Weigl, composer and conductor
• June 19 - Edmund Weber, composer
• July 18 - Friedrich Fleischmann, composer
• July 21 - Carolina Nairne, Scottish songwriter
• August 1 - Ignaz Anton Franz Xavier Ladurner, pianist and composer
• August 22 - Joseph-Denis Doche, composer
• October 9 - Bedrich Divis Weber, composer
• November 16 - Rudolphe Kreutzer, violinist and composer
• November 20 - John Wall Calcott, composer

Deaths

• February 26 - August Bernhard Valentin Herbing, composer
• March 3 - Gregor Joseph Werner, composer and leader of Prince Paul Esterhazy's orchestra
• March 25 - Johannes Ritschel, composer
• October 7 - Andre Cheron, composer
• unknown date - Wilhelm van Wassenaer , composer