JAVS Spring 2026

Figure 2. Facsimile of Notturno per violino e viola obbligati del sig. Luigi Boccherini.

companion work conceived as part of the same group. If so, this would place the composition of the violin–viola duet at approximately 1766. Despite the strong circumstantial connections suggested by shared titles and formal design, questions regarding authorship remain. The manuscript bears no autograph signature by Boccherini and does not appear in his personal catalogue or in Gérard’s thematic catalogue. No identifying watermarks are present, and the work survives in only a single known copy, currently housed in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections. Furthermore, even the attribution of the known two-violin Notturno has been questioned by some scholars, who have proposed Filippo Manfredi (1731–1777) as its possible composer. 21 These factors understandably invite caution in assigning definitive authorship to the violin–viola Notturno . Even so, the physical condition of the manuscript and the musical content it contains firmly situate the work within the Classical period. Whether composed by Boccherini himself or by a close contemporary working within the same stylistic and social milieu, Notturno per violino e viola obbligati represents a rare example of an original Classical-era duet that features the viola as an obbligato partner. As such, it constitutes an important addition to the viola repertoire, offering performers access

Dating the Manuscript One of Luigi Boccherini’s compositional habits was to write works in sets of six, and his output often followed a relatively regular pattern. During his Fourth Period (1786–1797), Boccherini sent works composed for Frederick William II of Prussia in monthly installments. 19 However, within the currently available catalogues from this period, there are notable gaps in which no works by Boccherini are documented. These omissions suggest that several compositions from this time may have been lost. On this basis alone, it is possible that Notturno per violino e viola obbligati was composed during this later period. Nevertheless, an earlier date appears more likely. In addition to Boccherini’s tendency to compose in sets, there exists a known duet for two violins that shares both the principal title Notturno and the final movement title La Buona Notte with the newly discovered violin–viola duet. This two-violin Notturno , commonly referred to by its final movement, is generally believed to date from around 1766, during Boccherini’s period of quartet activity with Manfredi, Nardini, and Cambini. 20 The existence of this single violin duet suggests the likelihood of additional related works composed within the same creative context. The newly uncovered violin–viola duet, which bears the identical title Notturno and concludes with La Buona Notte , may therefore represent a

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 42, No. 1, Spring 2026

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