# Mystery Boccherini String Quartet



## carlj (Jan 3, 2019)

Folks, I'm hoping someone can help me identify a piece of music. I used to have it on cassette, but you know how long ago that's been. 

It was Boccherini, one of the string quartets I'm pretty certain. As I recall from the notes printed inside the case, this particular quartet was composed with the emperor in mind. Which emperor? Well, that is lost. But according to the writer, apparently the emperor liked to sit in on music sessions but had more enthusiasm than skill, so Boccherini wrote a special part just for him -- it had only one note, I think the "E." So the entire movement, it was something like an adagio, of this quartet was done with the emperor's part just the one E repeated over and over. Sounds goofy, but it was actually amazing! You wouldn't believe how much feeling could be conveyed with just one note played over and over. I think it was violin, but maybe it was cello, and maybe the emperor was the amateur cellist Frederick William II of Prussia that Boccherini was in court with for a while?

So, somebody help me please. Of the over 100 string quartets he wrote, which one was that? Or am I wrong, and is it a quintet? I'm working with my memory here, which is a dangerous thing.

Thanks,
caj


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Yeah, quite a lot to choose from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Luigi_Boccherini#String_Quartets

I checked the liner notes of my LP recording of the quartets op.32 (1780), which were dedicated and perhaps partly written for the Crown Prince of Germany, cf. the front page; it's on the Telefunken label and the quartet is Quartetto Eszterhazy. 
It says specifically about no.4 in C, that it was probably composed with the cello-playing Crown Prince in mind, and that the cello has a simple, but important role to play in the piece.

The 3 movements are here




Slow = 








Maybe it's that one. Or maybe not ...


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

sorry, dedicated to the Crown Prince of Prussia of course; am not able to edit the post ...


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## carlj (Jan 3, 2019)

Thanks for looking it up. That was not the one, although it was very nice, as most of them are, of course.

I suppose I shall just have to make it my mission to listen to them all until I find it. It's haunting me -- That violin part (I'm 99% certain it's violin and not cello) is so distinctive, and so beautiful; hard to believe, but there it is.


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## Euler (Dec 3, 2017)

Could it be the minuet from Op. 32 No. 6? In the A section the 2nd violin plays only the open E string, and the cello only A2. But they have adventures in the B section and the trio...


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## jurianbai (Nov 23, 2008)

interesting, you can check on this blog about popular Boccherini string quartet that ever recorded:
http://silentstring.blogspot.com/2016/05/complete-list-of-luigi-boccherini.html


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## saliha (May 13, 2019)

Thanks once more for another masterpiece. Have a nice Tuesday all !﻿ Bluestacks Kodi Lucky Patcher


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