Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805)

Nationality: Italian | Spanish

Born: February 19, 1743, Lucca Died: May 28, 1805, Madrid (age 62)

wikipedia | imslp

Guitar Quintet No. 2 in E major, G.446

(for guitar, 2 violins, viola and cello)

		I.	Maestoso assai
		II.	Adagio - Allegretto
		III.	Polacca. Tempo di minuetto

Duration: 20 minutes (approximately)

Composed: 1798 (age 54-55)

Related Composers

Giovanni Battista Costanzi (1704-1778)

Teacher

Nationality: Italian

Born: September 3, 1704, Rome Died: March 5, 1778, Rome (age 73)

glossary

adagio [It]—slow tempo, often implying a lyrical, poignant character
allegretto—moderately quick tempo. slower than allegro but faster than andante
assai—very much. Intensifies the direction of its neighboring words, e.g. "allegro assai", very fast
chamber music, Kammermusik [G], musique de chambre [F], musica da camera [I], musica cameralis [L]—"Classical Music" for a small ensemble, generally 8 or fewer players with a canonical emphasis on 3-6 players. explore
maestoso—With dignity and nobility; majestic
minuet, menuet [F], Menuett [G], menuetto [I], minuetto [I]—A graceful, courtly French dance of the Baroque and Classical period with a triple meter and a moderate tempo.It was introduced at the court of Louis XIV. In classical forms such as the symphony or chamber music, the minuet evolved into the more vigorous scherzo.
Polonaise [F], Polonese [I], Polacca [I], Polaca, alla polacca, Polones—a dance of Polish origin in a moderate triple meter (3/4) typically with a characteristic rhythm (subdivisions of the beat with a flourish in the 2nd half of the 1st beat) and an energetic momentum.
quintet, quintette [F], quintett [G], quintetto [I]—an ensemble / work for 5 players, the typical examples being string quintet (with second viola or cello), piano quintet or woodwind quintet
tempo, tempi [pl]—speed or pace at which music progresses. Traditional classic music typically uses standard Italian words to designate the tempo, e.g. Allegro or adagio. Metronome markings provide precise numerical speeds. Tempo selection during performance is a complex artistic choice informed by composer's markings, performance tradition, technical limitations and interpretation.
transcription, transcribe—To re-score a work for an ensemble of instruments different from the original version. Typical examples include orchestrating piano or chamber works and visa versa. Within the realm of chamber music, a work for winds might be transcribed for strings, a symphony into a string quartet, a trio featuring a clarinet substituting a viola. One interesting question is: who made the transcription, the original composer? One interesting effect is that the transcription may become favored over the original. One of the most curious transcriptions in all of chamber music is Schoenberg's "Verklärte Nacht", transcribed from string sextet to piano trio with amazing success by one of his students.