Luigi Boccherini was born on February 19, 1743, in Lucca, the son of a cellist and double bassist. He showed great talent on the cello from a young age and made his solo debut at thirteen. The following year, he accompanied his father to Vienna, where he performed at the court theater. After stays in Vienna and Lucca, Boccherini embarked on a concert tour in 1766 with the violinist Filippo Manfredi, which took them via Paris to Spain. There, Boccherini settled in Madrid and was highly regarded as a composer and cellist at the court of the Spanish Infante and in the city's musical society.[1][3][5]
As one of the most important chamber music composers of his time, Boccherini is often compared to Joseph Haydn, although their musical approaches differed. Both composers achieved great acclaim through the publication of their works. Boccherini's output includes a wide variety of chamber music, including violin duets and string sextets, as well as 93 string quintets, which are distinguished by demanding solo passages. Some cello sonatas remained unpublished or were only adapted for violin.[1][3]
Boccherini's cello sonatas are often designated as "violoncello solo" with a second part played by either another cello or a double bass. Playing together with other instrumentalists was common practice at the time. While Boccherini concentrated primarily on quartets and quintets toward the end of his career, his early cello sonatas continued to circulate in various versions. The significance of his contribution to instrumental music has been assessed differently by various sources.[1][3]