Born in Germany to a family of musicians of Italian origin, Franz Danzi followed his father as a cellist in the famous Mannheim orchestra. He was later to take charge of court music in Munich, then in Stuttgart and later in Karlsruhe, allowing him further opportunity to write opera and incidental music. Danzi's works have a charm of their own and represent a link between the classical and romantic. The bassoon concertos offer the soloist ample scope for virtuosity, the instrument's singing tone a feature of each slow movement.