Giovanni Punto

1746-1803

Horn concertos? Mozart of course!

But not always.

Although of solid peasant stock the man born as Jan Václav Stich was taken on by his lord and master, Count Joseph Johann Thun und Hohenstein.

He benefited from a first rate education and developed some fine techniques on the horn in the process. Then as agreed he returned to the estate to serve his master.

This turned out to be more parochial a life than Stich had bargained for

So he ran off. The Count, angered by such disloyalty sent henchmen to teach him a lesson. Stich was long gone and changed his name to something more fashionably Italian to avoid detection. Stich became Punto.

How he achieved this when he was gaining a following for his innovative techniques and writing music for himself (the existing repertoire did not allow him to show off his virtuosity), who knows?

But gain a following he did. He performed for Mozart and gained a reputation across Europe as the finest performer of his generation.