Francesca Lebrun

Francesca Lebrun (née Franziska Dorothea Danzi; 24 March 1756 – 14 May 1791) was a noted 18th-century German singer and composer. She was renowned for her vocal dexterity and highly sought after by notable contemporaries, such as Anton Schweitzer, Ignaz Holzbauer, and Antonio Salieri, for the lead roles in their most challenging operas. Her talent extended beyond the stage to music composition and keyboard performance: as a composer, her twelve sonatas, six each in opus 1 and opus 2, for piano or harpsichord with violin accompaniment, were first published in London, England, in 1779–1781, with further editions in London, Paris, and several German centers. The opus 1 sonatas are available in commercial recording.