Peggy Nolan

Peggy’s research will investigate the correlation of Luigi Boccherini’s craft both as composer and cellist, towards the comprehension and publication of a performance practice method specific to Boccherini’s chamber music.

During his lifetime, Boccherini was celebrated as a performer and composer of distinction, and despite not publishing a method or pedagogical works, his influence on the advancement of cello technique and repertoire is exceptionally significant.

That his most extraordinary innovations for the instrument are manifested in his chamber music further sets him from the many other virtuoso cellist-composers active in the eighteenth century.

Despite a recent increase in interest and research into Boccherini’s music, his substantial compositional output is still considerably underrepresented in the current music industry.

Peggy’s work seeks to address the paucity of recordings, reliable editions, and research into this unique composer, through practice-based research. Her resultant recordings and thesis will aim to highlight, contextualise, and promote Boccherini’s important contribution to the classical repertoire.