The sixth piece of Op 19 deserves particular attention. The autograph score bears the title
Las Parejas (‘The couples’), and each movement has a subtitle: a six-bar
Entrada is immediately followed by a
Marcia and a
Galope; then, after a double re-exposition of the
Entrada, there is a restatement of the
Marcia, without repeats. The title refers to a typical Spanish horse race, in which two horsemen run hand in hand. This is the sort of ‘descriptive’ music where Boccherini was such a master (think also of his celebrated
Musica notturna di Madrid). Such descriptions are among the most challenging features of Boccherini’s music. The edition of this quintet by La Chevardière lacks the general title while retaining the subtitles of each movement; perhaps Boccherini considered the explicit reference of title, intended for the Spaniards, as something unsuited to the French public.
from notes by Marco Mangani © 2008
