Johann Nicolaus Denninger (1743-1813) numbers among the many musicians of the Classical period who in their multiple roles as instrumentalists, composers and music directors contributed not inconsiderably to tilling the field for the greats of their epoch. In the few extant instrumental works remaining it his main instrument, the harpsichord or the fortepiano then coming into fashion, occupies the focus. Formally and stylistically, these works represent the state of development during the last two decades of the 18th c., a period for which Haydn and Mozart set the decisive standards.