Charles Fleury was born in Lille in 1771, was first horn player in the theater of the city of Lyon and died there in 1825. More information here.
The present 12 quartets bear the title on the print
DOUZE QUATUORS / POUR QUATRE CORS / Composes et Dediés au Citoyen Gillet /PAR CHARLES FLEURY / Professeur de Musique et de Cors / ŒUVRE 1.m
The 12 quartets for 4 horns appeared before 1798 and are composed for valveless invention horns. In this instrumentation they are one of the first works for 4 horns in chamber music.
Fleury's composition was apparently appreciated by the horn players. The horn players of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig Fleischauer, Müller, Pfau and Herr performed this work on March 4, 1806 in a concert in the Theater am Rannstadt Schiessgraben. On May 19, 1806, this work was repeated “on request” in a concert in the hall of the Hotel de Saxe in Leipzig.
