Appendix II.5. Flute part for the "Minuetto" by Boccherini

Last at Stargardt’s auction of 21/22 March 1996, No. 1004: 1 page, 4° (24 × 33 cm) with 16 staves. At the top, in calligraphy, is the indication “Flauto” and the title “Minuetto di Boccherini” (which was probably added later).

This is an incomplete flute part (39 instead of 44 bars) for Luigi Boccherini’s famous Minuetto from his String Quintet, Op. 13 No. 5. Because of the very neat handwriting, it seems a likely supposition that it was written for performance purposes. It is not clear if this part (which is similar to the first violin part, but largely independent) belonged to an arrangement of that music (for wind quintet?) or if it was an addition of a solo flute to the original string quintet, which is probably the case.

Stargardt’s catalogue attributes this manuscript to Giacomo Puccini, but when it is compared with TMP, the manuscript appears to be the work of Giacomo’s younger brother Michele. It could date from the mid-1880s and may have been written for a student performance at the Milan Conservatory.