Born in 1734, Johann Ernst Altenburg was a German trumpeter, organist, and composer. His important contribution is a treatise entitled Heroic and Musical Trumpeters' and Kettledrummers' Art, in which he provides many technical details, some quite obscure, pertaining to natural trumpet performance. His compositions include piano sonatas. It is not clear if the trumpet works mentioned in his treatise are his compositions. Altenburg died in 1801.