Jean-Baptiste Bréval was a prolific French composer and cellist. He was a member of the Paris Opera Orchestra, and his compositions include concertos for cello, string quartets, and comic operas. He is famous for the Sonata in C major, which has turned into an everyday work for teaching purposes, including in arrangements for other instruments.

Bréval's works, consisting mostly of instruments, were written between 1775 and 1805. His music represented the passion for Parisian grace and strong melodies. Before 1784, two or three movement compositions were commonly rendered using sonata and rondo or worked with variations from one movement.