Analysis Of Op. 30 V By Luigi Boccherini

Luigi Boccherini, Italian composer of the Classical Period, was an influential character of the time that became an avid composer and proponent of string quintets, an enhancement on Haydn’s string quartets. Of this genre, one of Boccherini’s most relevant pieces was his String Quintet in C major no. 6, op. 30, V, which is a prime example of his similar quintets. This piece was scored for 5 string instruments: 2 violins, 2 cellos, and 1 viola; from this it can be inferred even before listening to the piece that it would be polyphonic in texture, however, once listening to the piece itself it seems more akin to a monophonic texture, mainly because there is a clear instrument (or pair of instruments) that has a melody that seems to remain mostly in the background, while allowing the violin to play a more prevalent melody.

This then is a clear example of an extended technique, and judging by the plucking feel this sound emits, it can be assumed that this technique is a derivative of pizzicato (I mentioned it was a derivative of pizzicato because it sounds somewhat like a strumming sound, which is a sort of plucking), this technique is much more interesting when considering this background melody plays for much of the piece itself, and is also the introduction to the piece. Boccherini seems to be a fan of extended techniques, because it can be noted that at 0:46 and 1:59 an extremely exaggerated tremolo can be distinctly heard during this