Luigi Boccherini
Casual classical music fans may have heard Boccherini's famous Minuet, but they might not know that Luigi Boccherini was an 18th century cello virtuoso who was celebrated throughout Europe for his performance and compositional skills. The Minuet comes from one of his 100-plus string quintets written to show off his cello technique. He also wrote around 100 string quartets; so if Franz Joseph Haydn is considered the father of the string quartet, Boccherini might be called one of its uncles. His other works include cello concertos and sonatas, a few symphonies, and vocal pieces.
Born on February 19, 1743, Boccherini was the son of a professional musician who was the first double bassist to perform solo concerts. The elder Boccherini started to give his son cello lessons when the boy was five years old. Luigi continued his studies from the age of nine with Abbé Vanucci, music director of the cathedral at San Martino. When the boy made his first public appearance, it was conceded that he had already surpassed his teacher's skills. He was sent to Rome, where he trained with G. B. Costanzi, music director of St. Peter's Basilica. After one year in Rome, Luigi and his father were summoned to Vienna, where they were hired by the Imperial Theater Orchestra.
Boccherini's compositions were first published when he was 17 years old. In 1765, he and his father went to Milan, which at the time was a magnet for talented musicians. It was there that he wrote his first string quartet. In the same year, the ill health that would plague Boccherini all his life began to take its toll. The composer endured a further blow in 1766 when his father died. He formed a new partnership with the violinist Filippo Manfredi; they toured Italy in 1767 and made their way to Paris, where they became a sensation. Boccherini published a number of notable works, including set of six string quartets. Following his successes there, he began writing and publishing prolifically.
In 1769, Boccherini and Manfredi journeyed to Spain, where the composer enjoyed great acclaim. Boccherini then took up another new genre, the string quintet. He in fact became best known for these works, written for string quartet with an additional cello. Now enjoying the benefits of a steady job, he married in 1771. His wife later died of a stroke in 1785. That year, his Spanish patron, Archbishop Don Luis, also died, leaving Boccherini without a position. He petitioned King Charles, asking to be retained in some musical position. Charles granted him a pension and assigned him various musical duties. There was an upturn in his fortunes in 1786 when he was commissioned as "Composer of Our Chamber" by Friedrich Wilhelm, who was soon to become King of Prussia. Though he wrote most of his new music for Friedrich Wilhelm, Boccherini remained in Spain, where he wrote his only opera, a zarzuela called La clementina.
In 1787 Boccherini remarried. In 1796 he entered into an arrangement with publisher, composer, and piano manufacturer Ignaz Pleyel, who both praised and published his works while cheating him of income. In February 1803, Boccherini was reported as living in "distress," but this is as likely from emotional depression as financial hardship, for in 1802 two of his daughters died from an epidemic within a few days of each other. In 1804 both his wife and his only living daughter died. It seems clear that, although he continued to compose up to the end, Boccherini had little interest in living, and he died on May 28, 1805, of what was described as "pulmonary suffocation." He was buried in the Church of San Justo in Madrid. His remains were disinterred in 1927, and he was reburied in the Basilica of San Francesco in his hometown of Lucca.
© TiVo Staff /TiVo
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Boccherini: Complete Cello Concertos
Classical - Released by Claves Records on 1 Jan 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Boccherini: Symphony No. 4 in D minor G. 506 "La Casa del Diavolo"
Luigi Boccherini, Christian Lindberg, MIN Ensemble, Per Egland
Classical - Released by EUROPEAN GRAMOPHONE on 1 Nov 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Boccherini: Menuet, from String Quintet No. 5 in E Major (Digitally Remastered)
Classical - Released by EMG Classical on 11 Apr 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Boccherini: "Menuet Célebre" Para quinteto en E Mayor
Classical - Released by Piros Comercial Digital on 19 Jun 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Luigi Boccherini: Cello Concerto No. 9 In B Flat Major, G 482 - Antonio Vivaldi: Cello Concerto In E Minor, RV 40
Concertos - Released by RHI on 14 Sep 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Luigi Boccherini - Great Recordings
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 16 Feb 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Quartetto Di Cremona: String Quartets by Ottorino Respighi, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi and Luigi Boccherini (Italian Journey)
Quartetto di Cremona, Ottorino Respighi, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Luigi Boccherini
Classical - Released by Rondeau Production on 15 Oct 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
100 Must-Have Easy Listening Classics
Classical - Released by Cobra Entertainment LLC on 17 Sep 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
All You Need Classics: Stress Relief
Classical - Released by Cobra Entertainment LLC on 11 Feb 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Minuet ((from String Quintet in E major, Op. 11, No. 5))
Classical - Released by soundnotation on 29 May 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Luigi Boccherini. String Quartets
Chamber Music - Released by Lindoro on 9 Aug 2017
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
100 Must-Have Tea Time Classics
Classical - Released by Cobra Entertainment LLC on 6 Jan 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Metamorfora: Works for Double Bass and Piano
Classical - Released by Blue Griffin Recording on 14 Jul 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Musica Diabolica
Luigi Boccherini, Franz Schubert, Christian Lindberg, Per Egland
Classical - Released by EUROPEAN GRAMOPHONE on 15 Nov 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Boccherini: Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra No. 2 in D Major (Digitally Remastered)
Moscow Conservatory Chamber Orchestra, Natalia Gutman
Classical - Released by EMG Classical on 11 Apr 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Boccherini: Symphony No. 1 in D Major (Digitally Remastered)
Chamber Orchestra of Moscow Philharmonic Society
Classical - Released by EMG Classical on 11 Apr 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
P. Tchaikovsky, Boccherini, B. Tchaikovsky: Works for Cello and Orchestra
Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio, Victor Simon
Classical - Released by Musical Heritage Society on 1 Jan 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Luigi Boccherini: Concertos
Classical - Released by ADAGIO on 2 Feb 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Musica Sacra
Classical - Released by Piros - Send on 20 Jun 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Deux concertos pour violoncelle
Classical - Released by Claves Records on 1 Jan 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Russian Performing School: Natalia Shakhovskaya
Classical - Released by Russian Compact Disc on 11 Feb 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo