Luigi Boccherini
Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini was born February 19, 1743, in Lucca, Italy. His father Leopoldo was a cellist and double-bassist and was Luigi's first cello teacher. He went on to study with Abbé Vanucci, music director of the cathedral at San Martino, and then with the renowned cellist Giovanni Battista Costanzi, musical director at Saint Peter’s Basilica. Both he and his father were hired by Imperial Theater Orchestra in Vienna. He became friends and performed often with violinist Filippo Manfredi while there and would continue to perform with him afterwards. In the early 1760s he moved to Spain where he would enjoy the patronage of Infante Luis Antonio (the younger brother of King Charles III), Lucien Bonaparte who was the French ambassador to Spain and brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, and - at a distance - King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia.
In the early 1770s, he married Clementina Pelicho, with whom he had five children. Both she and their baby died in 1785. He remarried Joaquina Porreti two years later. In 1802, two of his daughters died in an epidemic and, in 1804, his wife and last daughter also died. Luigi died on May 28, 1805, leaving behind two sons. He was buried in the Church of San Justo in Madrid, though his remains were moved in 1927 to the Basilica of san Francesco in Lucca.
His courtly, galante musical style fits with the common practices of his time, though, most notably, he did bring the cello more prominence in his chamber and solo music than did some of his contemporaries, like Haydn. He wrote prolifically, though he has been overshadowed by his contemporaries until somewhat recently. The French musicologist Yves Gérard (born 1932) catalogued Boccherini's works in the Gérard catalog, which was published in London in 1969; hence the "G" numbers applied to his output, which are not in chronological order, but are grouped by type of piece.
Boccherini composed more than 100 string quartets, more than 100 string quintets (written for 2 violins, 1 viola, and 2 cellos), piano quintets, guitar quintets (No.4 has a Fandango finale complete with castanets), various other chamber music including trios or those with harpsichord, 12 cello sonatas, 11 cello concerti, 30 symphonies, one opera, and oratorios.
Elisabeth Le Guin, his biographer, wrote of his style that there was "an astonishing repetitiveness, an affection for extended passages with fascinating textures but virtually no melodic line, an obsession with soft dynamics, a unique ear for sonority, and an unusually rich palette of introverted and mournful affects." The writer of Boccherini's article on wikipedia.org said this of his music: "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."
The editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica described his compositional style, saying, "Perhaps because his most significant work consists of chamber music and symphonies, Boccherini has often been compared to Haydn, usually to his disadvantage. Like Vivaldi in relation to Bach, Boccherini is found wanting for the very qualities that established his fame as a composer: melodic fecundity, an emphasis on virtuosity (especially with respect to his own instrument, the cello), fairly undemanding forms, and a lack of the kind of thematic development that had become a hallmark of German music. Thus, whereas Haydn’s first movements usually centre upon the closely reasoned argument of their development sections, Boccherini’s depend on their thematic material and the way in which it is presented and re-presented. Yet his treatment of instrumental texture was richly varied, emerging as one of the most characteristic features of his music, particularly in his concertante writing, in which he obtained a wide variety of tone colours by writing high viola or cello parts (he was clearly influenced here by his own instrumental facility). His overriding concern was the production of smooth, elegant music; thus, his favourite expression marks were soave (soft), con grazia (with grace), and dolcissimo (very sweetly). It is in his gentle warmth and superlative elegance—often with a hint of melancholy just below the surface—that Boccherini’s most characteristic contribution may be found."
My sources for this biography were britannica.com, wikipedia.org, lucksmusic.com, and mfiles.co.uk. I accessed these on June 24, 2016.
In the early 1770s, he married Clementina Pelicho, with whom he had five children. Both she and their baby died in 1785. He remarried Joaquina Porreti two years later. In 1802, two of his daughters died in an epidemic and, in 1804, his wife and last daughter also died. Luigi died on May 28, 1805, leaving behind two sons. He was buried in the Church of San Justo in Madrid, though his remains were moved in 1927 to the Basilica of san Francesco in Lucca.
His courtly, galante musical style fits with the common practices of his time, though, most notably, he did bring the cello more prominence in his chamber and solo music than did some of his contemporaries, like Haydn. He wrote prolifically, though he has been overshadowed by his contemporaries until somewhat recently. The French musicologist Yves Gérard (born 1932) catalogued Boccherini's works in the Gérard catalog, which was published in London in 1969; hence the "G" numbers applied to his output, which are not in chronological order, but are grouped by type of piece.
Boccherini composed more than 100 string quartets, more than 100 string quintets (written for 2 violins, 1 viola, and 2 cellos), piano quintets, guitar quintets (No.4 has a Fandango finale complete with castanets), various other chamber music including trios or those with harpsichord, 12 cello sonatas, 11 cello concerti, 30 symphonies, one opera, and oratorios.
Elisabeth Le Guin, his biographer, wrote of his style that there was "an astonishing repetitiveness, an affection for extended passages with fascinating textures but virtually no melodic line, an obsession with soft dynamics, a unique ear for sonority, and an unusually rich palette of introverted and mournful affects." The writer of Boccherini's article on wikipedia.org said this of his music: "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."
The editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica described his compositional style, saying, "Perhaps because his most significant work consists of chamber music and symphonies, Boccherini has often been compared to Haydn, usually to his disadvantage. Like Vivaldi in relation to Bach, Boccherini is found wanting for the very qualities that established his fame as a composer: melodic fecundity, an emphasis on virtuosity (especially with respect to his own instrument, the cello), fairly undemanding forms, and a lack of the kind of thematic development that had become a hallmark of German music. Thus, whereas Haydn’s first movements usually centre upon the closely reasoned argument of their development sections, Boccherini’s depend on their thematic material and the way in which it is presented and re-presented. Yet his treatment of instrumental texture was richly varied, emerging as one of the most characteristic features of his music, particularly in his concertante writing, in which he obtained a wide variety of tone colours by writing high viola or cello parts (he was clearly influenced here by his own instrumental facility). His overriding concern was the production of smooth, elegant music; thus, his favourite expression marks were soave (soft), con grazia (with grace), and dolcissimo (very sweetly). It is in his gentle warmth and superlative elegance—often with a hint of melancholy just below the surface—that Boccherini’s most characteristic contribution may be found."
My sources for this biography were britannica.com, wikipedia.org, lucksmusic.com, and mfiles.co.uk. I accessed these on June 24, 2016.
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Symphony No. 6 in D minor, Op. 12 "La casa del diavolo"
Amadeus Chamber Orchestra Yongho Choi, conductor Seoul Artcenter IBK Hall |
String Quintet in C-Major Op. 42 No. 2 (G.349)
Mvt. 1 - Andante con moto David Coucheron - Violin Sonoko Miriam Shimano Welde - Violin Cynthia Phelps - Viola Christopher Rex - Cello Efe Baltacigil - Cello |
Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D-Major (G. 448)
III. Grave assai, Fandango
Boccherini Ensemble:
Gerald Smrzek (Austria) - Guitar,
Valbona Naku (Albania) - Violin,
Armando Toledo (Cuba) - Violin,
Lina Jihye Kim (Korea) - Viola,
M. d. G. (Italy) - Violoncello, Castanets
III. Grave assai, Fandango
Boccherini Ensemble:
Gerald Smrzek (Austria) - Guitar,
Valbona Naku (Albania) - Violin,
Armando Toledo (Cuba) - Violin,
Lina Jihye Kim (Korea) - Viola,
M. d. G. (Italy) - Violoncello, Castanets