Boccherini, Luigi, << `bok` uh REE nee, loo EE jee >> (1743-1805), was an Italian composer and cellist. He wrote more than 500 works, many of them string trios, quartets, and quintets. Boccherini’s compositions won recognition during his lifetime but were largely ignored throughout the 1800’s and early 1900’s. In the mid-1900’s, they began to attract increasing interest because of their graceful, expressive melodies. Boccherini’s most frequently performed works are his Concerto in B flat for cello (about 1770) and the minuet from his String Quintet No. 5 (1771).
Boccherini was born on Feb. 19, 1743, in Lucca, Italy, and studied composition and cello in Rome and Vienna. In 1767, he went to Paris, published his first works, and became known as a composer of chamber music. He traveled to Madrid, Spain, in 1769 and was appointed composer and chamber musician at the Spanish court. He remained there until his death on May 28, 1805, composing for publishers and patrons all over Europe, including King Frederick William II of Prussia.
