Composer. A very popular musician of his era, he was influential in bringing the cello to prominence as both a solo and chamber instrument. The "Minuet" from his String Quintet in E, Op. 11, No. 5 (1775), is one of the most familiar melodies in all Classical music. Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini was born in Lucca, Italy, the son of a doublebass player. He perfected his virtuoso skills as a cellist at St. Peter's in Rome and then went on extensive concert tours of Europe, accompanied by violinist Filippo Manfredi. During a stint with the Imperial Theatre Orchestra of Vienna he discovered the works of Haydn, which had a permanent effect on his own music. Boccherini lived in Spain from 1768 until his death, serving as composer to Archbishop Don Luis (1770 to 1785) and later to French Ambassador Lucien Bonaparte. He also supplied music for the court of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, though there is no evidence he ever visited Potsdam. His final years were marred by the deaths of his wife and three daughters in epidemics and by disputes with unscrupulous publishers over the income from his scores. Originally interred at the Church of San Justo (now St. Michael's Basilica) in Madrid, his remains were brought back to his native Lucca in 1929. Boccherini produced around 500 compositions, including 30 symphonies, four cello concertos and two operas, but his importance rests primarily on his extensive chamber output. He devised the string quintet with an extra cello rather than the standard viola, creating a doubly firm bass line and a darker yet luminous sound; he wrote 125 such pieces. Franz Schubert used the Boccherini grouping for his magnificent Quintet in C (1828). In his 91 string quartets he enriched the development of the genre by placing the cello on an equal footing with the other instruments rather than using it for mere accompaniment, and this too had a wide impact. Boccherini's finely polished style is redolent of Haydnesque Classicism, though lacking the Austrian master's inventiveness or depth; this was acknowledged during his lifetime with the rather rude quip, "Boccherini is the wife of Haydn". But his best music still has the power to charm and much of it is presently available in recordings. The "Minuet" alone has been featured in dozens of films and countless TV commercials, typically in scenes requiring a dose of cheerful elegance.