Luigi Boccherini was an Italian composer of the Classical era. He was a renowned cellist and artist who inspired the growth of the string quartet and composed the first music for a quintet for strings and a quintet for piano and strings.

Boccherini has written many guitar quintets, including the Spanish-influenced "Fandango." Much of the chamber music of Boccherini follows styles established by Joseph Haydn; Boccherini, however, also has a good reputation for developing his string quartet style by bringing the cello to prominence, while Haydn frequently reduced it to the role of accompaniment. Boccherini was a virtuoso cellist who also played a violin range on the cello at a pitch, a talent he gained while touring. He has composed a significant number of chamber music, including two violins, violas, two cellos, and over a hundred string quintets.