Niccolò Paganini
Four Etudes for solo violin
edited by Danilo Prefumo
(Instrumental Music, 2)

XVIII, 8 p., 1 ill.; 29,7 x 21 cm
Italian/English Introduction and Apparatus

Niccolo Paganini's Four Studies are known from a single Genoese source, now located in a private collection. They are technically very demanding and form an interesting integration to the standard solo violin repertoire, topped by the renowned Twenty-Four Capricci, Op. 1. These Four Studies are undated, but most likely hark back to Paganini's youth. In those years the composer was no European music star yet; he rather dabbled in composing "hard music", inventing and solving increasingly difficult performance problems.

Danilo Prefumo (Genoa, 1953) got his degree in Philosophy in 1977, while also privately studying music. He has collaborated with Radiotre, the Italian public radio channel, for over fifteen years, and has been appearing at the Radio Svizzera Italiana (Italian Swiss Radio) since 1978. His studies focus on 18th-19th century Italian instrumental music, and on Paganini in particular. He has published Invitation to Franz Schubert(1992), The Sammartini Brothers (2002), and Paganini (2006). In 1996 he founded the Istituto Discografico Italiano, in order to issue and disseminate major historical recordings. He is artistic director of the Dynamic record label.