Giovanni Battista Viotti

Giovanni Battista Viotti was an Italian violinist whose virtuosity was famed and whose work as a composer featured a prominent violin and an appealing lyrical tunefulness. He was also a director of French and Italian opera companies in Paris and London. He personally knew Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven.

12 May 1755

Born on the same birth day (12 May): Augustus II the Strong • Etika • Graeme Dott • Ian Dury • Jiddu Krishnamurti • Katharine Hepburn • Louis Hennepin • Mo Bamba • Otto Frank • Rishi Sunak • William Giauque

Born in the same month (May 1755): Alfred Moore • Robert Gray (sea captain)