1. He was a profound composer and a gifted cellist.

This explains why he composed at least 19 sonatas and 12 concertos for the instrument! He is associated with the development of the cello. He invented previously unknown ensembles for it: a string quintet with two cellos, a piano quintet and a string sextet. He was also a very studious composer amassing a catalogue of 600 works!

2. Born in Italy to a family of musicians, Luigi Boccherini spent the majority of his life composing in Spain for the court of Madrid.

He became so at home there that he even signed certain documents “Luis”, a Spanish spelling of Luigi (much like Lully had Frenchified Giovanni Battista into Jean-Baptiste after settling into the court of Louis XIV).

3. Despite mainly residing in Madrid, Boccherini visited many European courts.

He was the protégé of the Infant Don Luis of Spain and of Frederick William II of Prussia. Yet he was also very stubborn! Infant Don Luis once expressed his dissatisfaction at one of his trios and requested Boccherini change it. The maestro, instead of heeding the royal request, doubled the length of the passage! He was quickly dismissed and sought protection in France from Napoleon’s brother, Lucien Bonaparte.

4. Known as the greatest cellist in Europe, Luigi Boccherini possessed probably the finest instruments of his time.

The master luthier Antonio Stradivari is more notorious for his violins than other instruments but he also made cellos and guitars. However, one instrument, carefully crafted in 1709, particularly attracts attention through its legend: the ‘Boccherini’. Sadly there is no written evidence suggesting this instrument belonged to the great cellist. It’s unlikely that this cello’s namesake ever held the fine instrument. What a delightful duo that would have been! The legend continues through Pablo Casals, one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century, as he plays Boccherini on the ‘Boccherini’!

5. A great admirer of Joseph Haydn, he is sometimes referred to as “Haydn’s wife”, as detractors think the two composers’ music sounds so alike.

On the contrary, many fellow composers such as Gluck and Mozart praised his original musical writing. In the 20th century, he once again became a hot topic thanks to The Boccherini Quartet, who recorded many of his quartets. His music has remained in the limelight and has also attracted the attention of many film makers, including Boccherini’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World musical cameo with his La Musica Notturna Delle Strade di Madrid.