Boccherini: Minuet [Ensemble Deva]

Ensemble Deva performs the 3rd movement, “minuet” of the Italian classical era composer Luigi Boccherini’s String Quintet in E major, Op. 11, No. 5 (G 275).

Ensemble Deva performs the 3rd movement, “minuet” of Boccherini’s String Quintet in E major

Boccherini’s String Quintet in E major

Luigi Boccherini (19 February 1743 – 28 May 1805) was an Italian classical-era composer and cellist. He was 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).

One of his most famous works, the String Quintet in E major, Op. 11, No. 5 (G 275) (written in 1771 and published in 1775) is famous for its minuet third movement (often referred to as “The Celebrated Minuet”) which is most often played as a standalone piece outside of the context of the full quintet.

The quintet has four movements:

  1. Amoroso
  2. Allegro e con spirito
  3. Minuetto (minuet), Trio (A major)
  4. Rondeau, andante

And the full version of the String Quintet in E major below, performed by La magnifica comunità, the Italian chamber ensemble led by violinist Enrico Casazza.

La magnifica comunità performs Boccherini’s String Quintet in E major

This string quintet is a “cello quintet” in that it is scored for a string quartet (two violins, viola, and cello) with a second cello as the fifth instrument. At the time of this composition, Boccherini had been writing string quartets for about ten years.

In 1771, Boccherini’s patron Don Luis, the brother of King Charles III of Spain, began to employ the Font String Quartet, composed of violist Francisco Font and his three sons. The Font String Quartet performed many of Boccherini’s works, and for a while, Boccherini wrote almost exclusively for them. He also occasionally joined the quartet as a performer himself, which prompted him to add an additional cello part to his music.

Boccherini’s first set of string quintets, his Opus 10, was also composed in 1771. His second set, Opus 11, consisted of six quintets, most notably No. 5 in E Major. This became Boccherini’s most famous work even though when published, it received no special recognition.

Luigi Boccherini
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.

Sources

M. Özgür Nevres
M. Özgür Nevres

I am Özgür Nevres, a software engineer, a former road racing cyclist, and also an amateur musician. I opened andantemoderato.com to share my favorite music. I also take care of stray cats & dogs. This website's all income goes directly to our furry friends. Please consider supporting me on Patreon, so I can help more animals!

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