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Luigi Boccherini
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini |
| Music Encyclopedia: (Ridolfo) Luigi Boccherini |
(b Lucca, 19 Feb 1743; d Madrid, 28 May 1805). Italian composer and cellist. The son of a cello or double bass player, he made his public début as a cellist at 13. After studying in Rome, he worked intermittently at the Viennese court, 1757-64. In 1760 he began to catalogue his compositions (though excluding cello sonatas, vocal music and certain other works). In 1764-6 he worked in Lucca, where he composed vocal music and in 1765 reputedly arranged the first string quartet performances in public. On tour with the violinist Filippo Manfredi in Paris, 1767-8, he had his six string quartets op.1 and six string trios op.2 published. In 1769 the duo arrived in Madrid, where Boccherini became composer and performer to the Infante Don Luis. Up to the time of Luis death in 1785 he composed chamber music for his court, notably string quintets for two violins, viola and two cellos. From 1786, as chamber composer to Prince (later King) Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia, he sent string quartets to the Prussian court, though probably never went there.
The chief representative of Latin instrumental music during the Viennese Classical period, Boccherini was especially prolific in chamber music: he wrote well over 120 string quintets, nearly 100 string quartets and over 100 other chamber works. At first he used a standard Italian idiom, but with unusually ornate melodies and frequent high cello writing. Later, reflecting his isolated position, his style became more personal, with delicate detail, syncopated rhythms and rich textures; he sometimes used cyclic forms. The orchestral music includes several virtuoso cello concertos and over 20 symphonies; the vocal works include an opera, two oratorios and a Stabat mater (1781).
works:Chamber music
- over 120 str qnts
- c 90 str qts
- 48 str trios
- over 100 sonatas, duets, flute quintets
- over 20 syms.
- 11 vc concs.
- 2 oratorios (c 1765)
- Stabat mater (1781)
- liturgical pieces
- villancicos
- opera (1786)
- cantata
| Columbia Encyclopedia: Luigi Boccherini |
Boccherini, Luigi (lūē'jē bôk-kĕrē'nē), 1743-1805, Italian composer and cellist. Together with the violinist Filippo Manfredi he made a highly successful concert tour of Italy and France. After 1769 he was a composer and cellist in Spanish courts. He also served as composer to Frederick William II of Prussia (1787-97) and then returned to Madrid. Boccherini wrote more than 400 works, including 4 cello concertos, about 90 string quartets and about 125 string quintets. His chamber music, displaying complete mastery of the classical style, is remarkable for natural, expressive melodies and fluent instrumental writing. His famous minuet is from the String Quintet Op. 13, No. 4. Boccherini's style is often compared to that of Haydn, and the two composers admired each other's work.
Dictionary:
Boc·che·ri·ni (bō'kə-rē'nē, bŏk'ə-, bōk'kĕ-)  , Luigi
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Italian composer noted for his chamber music and cello concertos.
| Artist: Luigi Boccherini |
- Period: Classical (1750-1819)
- Country: Italy
- Born: February 19, 1743 in Lucca, Italy
- Died: May 28, 1805 in Madrid, Spain
- Genres: Chamber Music, Concerto, Miscellaneous Music, Symphony
Biography
Franz Joseph Haydn may be the father of the string quartet, but Luigi Boccherini might be considered one of its uncles. 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 Boccherini 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. In Paris Boccherini published a number of notable works, including a set of six string quartets. Following his successes there, Boccherini 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, Boccherini married in 1771.
Boccherini's wife 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 Boccherini's 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 Boccherini's 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 Boccherini, although he continued to compose up to the end, had little interest in living, and died on May 28, 1805 of what was described as "pulmonary suffocation." He was buried in the Church of San Justo in Madrid. In 1927 his remains were disinterred and he was reburied in the Basilica of San Francesco in his hometown of Lucca. ~ AMG, All Music Guide
Discography
Luigi Boccherini: Concerti Da Violoncello & Sinfonie Buy this CD |
| Wikipedia: Luigi Boccherini |
| Luigi Boccherini | |
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| Born | February 19, 1743 Lucca, Italy |
| Died | May 28, 1805 (aged 62) Madrid, Spain |
| Residence | Spain |
| Nationality | Spanish (naturalized) |
| Ethnicity | Italian |
| Occupation | Musician and composer |
| Employer | Luis de Borbón y Farnesio, 13th Count of Chinchón, Lucien Bonaparte, Friedrich Wilhelm II |
Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini (February 19, 1743 – May 28, 1805) was an Italian classical era composer and cellist whose music retained a courtly and galante style while he matured somewhat apart from the major European musical centers. Boccherini is most widely known for one particular minuet from his String Quintet in E, Op. 11, No. 5 (G 275), and the Cello Concerto in B flat major (G 482). This last work was long known in the heavily altered version by German cellist and prolific arranger Friedrich Grützmacher, but has recently been restored to its original version. His music was clearly influenced by the Spanish and Mediterranean style in that he composed several quintets for guitar.
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Biography
Boccherini was born in Lucca, Italy, into a musical family. At a young age he was sent by his father, a cellist and double bass player, to study in Rome. In 1757 they both went to Vienna where they were employed by the court as musicians in the Burgtheater. In 1761 Boccherini went to Madrid, where he was employed by Infante Luis Antonio of Spain, younger brother of King Charles III. There he flourished under royal patronage, until one day when the King expressed his disapproval at a passage in a new trio, and ordered Boccherini to change it. The composer, no doubt irritated with this intrusion into his art, doubled the passage instead, leading to his immediate dismissal. Then he accompanied Don Luis to Arenas de San Pedro, a little town at the Gredos mountains; there and in the closest town of Candeleda Boccherini wrote many of his most brilliant works.
Among his late patrons was the French consul Lucien Bonaparte, as well as King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, himself an amateur cellist, flutist, and avid supporter of the arts. Boccherini fell on hard times following the deaths of his Spanish patron, two wives, and two daughters, and he died almost in poverty in 1805, being survived by two sons. His blood line continues to this day in Spain.
Works
Much of his chamber music follows models established by Joseph Haydn; however, Boccherini is often credited with improving Haydn's model of the string quartet by bringing the cello to prominence, whereas Haydn had always relegated it to an accompaniment role. Rather, some sources for Boccherini's style are in the works of a famous Italian cellist, Giovanni Battista Cirri, who was born before Boccherini and before Haydn, and in the Spanish popular music.
A virtuoso cellist of high caliber, Boccherini often played violin repertoire on the cello, at pitch, a skill he developed by substituting for ailing violinists while touring. This supreme command of the instrument brought him much praise from his contemporaries (notably Pierre Baillot, Pierre Rode, and Bernhard Romberg), and is evident in the cello parts of his compositions (particularly in the quintets for two cellos, treated often as cello concertos with string quartet accompaniment).
He wrote a large amount of chamber music, including over one hundred string quintets for two violins, viola and two cellos (a type which he pioneered, in contrast with the then common scoring for two violins, two violas and one cello), a dozen guitar quintets, not all of which have survived, nearly a hundred string quartets, and a number of string trios and sonatas (including at least 19 for the cello). His orchestral music includes around 30 symphonies and 12 virtuoso cello concertos.
Boccherini's works have been catalogued by the French musicologist Yves Gérard (born 1932) in the Gérard catalog, published in London (1969), hence the "G" numbers applied to his output.
With a ministerial decree dated 27 April 2006, the Opera Omnia of the composer Luigi Boccherini was promoted to the status of Italian National Edition. The director of the new critical edition is professor Christian Speck (Koblenz-Landau), and the advisory committee includes Theophil Antonicek (Vienna), Sergio Durante (Padua), Ludwig Finscher (Heidelberg), Yves Gérard (Paris), Roberto Illiano (Cremona-Lucca), Fulvia Morabito (Cremona-Lucca), Rudolf Rasch (Utrecht), Massimiliano Sala (Cremona-Lucca), and Andrea Schiavina (Bologna).
Boccherini's style is characterized by the typical Rococo charm, lightness, and optimism, and exhibits much melodic and rhythmic invention, coupled with frequent influences from the guitar tradition of his adopted country, Spain.
Contemporary revival
Neglected after his death—the dismissive sobriquet "Haydn's wife" dates from the nineteenth century— his works have been gaining more recognition lately, in print, record, and concert hall. His famous "Musica notturna delle strade di Madrid" (String Quintet in C Major, Op. 30 No. 6, G324), became popular through its use in the Peter Weir film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003).
His distinctive compositions for string quintet (two violins, one viola, two cellos), long neglected after his death, have been brought back to life by the Boccherini Quintet in the second half of the 20th century, when two of its founding members discovered a complete collection of the first edition of the 141 string quintets in Paris and began playing and recording them around the world.
See also
- List of compositions by Luigi Boccherini
- List of string quartets by Luigi Boccherini
- Cello Concerto in D Major, G.479
- Cello Concerto in B-flat Major, G.482
Media
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String Quintet op.27 No 3, first movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (October 2001) String Quintet op.27 No 3, second movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (October 2001) String Quintet op.27 No 1, first movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (November 2001) String Quintet op.27 No 1, second movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (November 2001) String Quintet Op10 No5, third movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2001) String Quintet Op62 No4, first movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2001) String Quintet Op62 No4, second movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2001) String Quintet Op62 No4, third movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2001) String Quintet Op62 No4, fourth movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2001) String Quintet Op11 No1, first movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2001) String Quintet Op11 No1, second movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2001) String Quintet Op11 No1, third movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2001) String Quintet Op11 No3, first movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2002) String Quintet Op11 No3, second movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2002) String Quintet Op11 No3, third movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2002) String Quintet Op11 No3, fourth movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2002) String Quintet op.11 No 2, first movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2001) String Quintet op.11 No 2, second movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2001) String Quintet op.11 No 2, third movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2001) String Quintet op.11 No 2, fourth movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2001) String Quintet op.13 No 1, first movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2002) String Quintet op.13 No 1, second movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2002) String Quintet op.13 No 1, third movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2002) String Quintet op.13 No 1, fourth movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2002) String Quintet op.18 No 1, first movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2002) String Quintet op.18 No 1, second movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2002) String Quintet op.18 No 1, third movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2002) String Quintet op.18 No 1, fourth movement Performed by Jacques Lochet, violin and synthesizer (2002) - Problems listening to the files? See media help.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Luigi Boccherini |
- Classical Net
- Classical Music Archives
- Luigi Boccherini 1743-1805
- Free scores by Luigi Boccherini in the Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA)
- Free scores by Boccherini in the International Music Score Library Project
- Examples of Boccherini's works at The Classical Music Dictionary
- Luigi Boccherini. More extensive biography (Spanish)
- Complete list of works at University of Quebec. Marked "under construction". (French)
- Trios, violins, violoncello, G. 83-88 (From the Sibley Music Library Digital Score Collection)
- Sonatas, harpsichord, violin, violoncello, G. 143-148 (From the Sibley Music Library Digital Score Collection)
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Mentioned in
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- Enzo Borlenghi (Classical Musician)
- Boccherini: Fandango, Sinfonie & La Musica Notturna di Madrid (Classical Album)
- Boccherini: Fandango, Sinfonie & La Musica Notturna di Madrid [Hybrid SACD] (Classical Album)
- Simply Baroque (1999 Album by Yo-Yo Ma)
- Simply Baroque (Classical Album)
- Minuet in A major, arrangement (after String Quintet in E major, Op.11/5 [aka Op. 13/5], G. 275) (Classical Work)
- String Quartet in C major, G. 232 (Op. 52/1) (Classical Work)
- Masters and Commanders (2007 Album by Erich Kunzel & the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra)
- Boccherini: Fandango Op40/2; String Quartets in F (Classical Album)
- Boccherini: Quatuors pour deux clavecins; Fandango (Classical Album)
- Luigi Boccherini: Quintets Per a guitarra i Quartet de corda en Re Major, G.448 & G.449 (Classical Album)
- Boccherini: Complete Guitar Quintets (Classical Album)
