Roman Hoffstetter (1742-1815) was a German Benedictine monk and composer, remembered chiefly because music once attributed to Haydn has been linked to his name. He spent much of his life at the monastery of Amorbach.

Hoffstetter wrote string quartets and sacred music. The famous serenade movement long known as Haydn’s Serenade has often been associated with one of Hoffstetter’s quartets.

His music belongs to the Classical chamber tradition, with clear textures, balanced phrases and graceful melodic writing. The confusion with Haydn is itself a sign of how close his idiom could come to the central Viennese style.

Hoffstetter remains a modest figure, but an interesting one for questions of attribution and repertory history. His name survives in the footnotes where musical detective work keeps its candle burning.