Giovanni Battista Sammartini was an Italian composer, oboist, organist, choirmaster and teacher. He counted Gluck among his students, and was highly regarded by younger composers including Johann Christian Bach.
Background
Giovanni Battista Sammartini was born on January 15, 1775 in San Martini, Italy to French emigrant and oboist Alexis Saint-Martin and Girolama de Federici in Milan, in what was Hapsburg-ruled Lombardy during most of his lifetime and is Italy today. He was the seventh of eight children.
Education
He received musical instruction from his father and wrote his first music in 1725, which was a set of vocal works (now lost). Not long after, he acquired the positions of maestro di cappella at Sant'Ambrogio and to the Congregazione del Santissimo Entierro in 1728. He held the position at Sant'Ambrogio until his death.
Career
Sammartini was organist of several churches in Milan and from 1730 to 1770 was in charge of music at the convent of Santa Maria Magdalena, during which time the famous Austrian composer C. W. Gluck was his pupil (1737 - 1741).