Some time ago, Vegangelica and I agreed that Boccherini deserved to have his own thread. After a titanic struggle with my own inherent giant laziness,

finally I've taken the first step. Better late than never.
My fellow townsman
Luigi Boccherini (Lucca, Italy, 1743 — Madrid, Spain, 1805) is an important figure in Music history. He represents a bridge between Rococo and Classicism. Even if you have no idea who Boccherini is, you've probably heard some of his music sometime. For instance,
Night Music of the Streets of Madrid. At least its 5th movement. Perhaps because of this:
Boccherini composed around 30 symphonies and one opera, but he especially excelled at chamber music. These two pieces are very famous: the minuet from String Quintet in E Major, Op.11 No.5, and the fandango from Quintet no.4 (G.448):