Giovanni Paolo Fusetti

Giovanni Paolo Fusetti, also known as Gian Paolo, was an Italian composer and organist who also belonged to the Conventual Franciscan order. He was born in Monza, although his birthplace is not known with certainty, and died in Udine in June 1690. His career unfolded almost entirely in northern Italy, in the Veneto and Friuli regions.

His earliest documented posts were as an organist: from 1657 at the latest, he held the organ at the church of San Francesco in Este. In 1658 he was appointed maestro di cappella in Montagnana, near Padua. From June 1660 he worked as organist at the convent and church of San Lorenzo in Vicenza, and from July 1662 at the convent of the Frari in Venice.

In 1664 he was appointed maestro di cappella of Udine Cathedral, a post he held until his death. There he was also responsible for musical instruction for the pupils of the Casa Secolare delle Zitelle, and between 1674 and 1687 he additionally served as the cathedral's first organist.

Fusetti is remembered above all for his opera Iphide greca, première in Udine in 1672, although he composed only the roles of Osirio and Lubione, the rest of the music being the work of other composers; the score has been lost. His surviving sacred works, such as the Magnificats, psalms and several motets, reflect his service to the churches he directed.