Boccherini, Luigi, bok uh REE nee, loo EE jee (1743-1805), was an Italian composer and cellist. He wrote more than 500 works, many of them string trios, quartets, and quintets. Boccherini's compositions won recognition during his lifetime but were largely ignored throughout the 1800's and early 1900's. In the mid-1900's, they began to attract increasing interest because of their graceful, expressive melodies. Boccherini's most frequently performed works are his Concerto in B flat for cello (about 1770) and the minuet from his String Quintet No. 5 (1771).