Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805)
Six Duets for two Violins, 1769
Compositions for two solo instruments—either bowed or wind—was one of the most popular in the 18th century among amateurs and scholars alike since they readily lent themselves to both didactic purposes and fashionable salons. If the works destined for amateurs offered only modest possibilities of expression, those reserved for professionals exploited all the potentials of the instruments and indeed provided the listener with moments of great originality and invention. The Six duo by Boccherini fall into this second category.