42 Studies or Caprices

Well known for his style of bowing, his splendid tone and the clearness of his execution, French violinist, teacher and composer Rodolphe Kreutzer (1766-1831) composed nineteen Violin concertos and forty operas during his life time, and is perhaps best known for his 42 Études or Capriccios, 1796.

Born in Versailles, Kreutzer was initially taught by his German father, who was a musician in the royal chapel, with later lessons from Anton Stamitz. He quickly rose to fame as a Violinist, appearing as a soloist until 1810. In 1798, when at Vienna in the service of the French ambassador, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (later King ofSweden and Norway), Kreutzer the made the aquaintance of Beethoven and became the dedicatee of his Violin Sonata No. 9, Op. 47 (1803). Kreutzer, however, never played the work, declaring it unplayable and incomprehensible.

From 1795 until 1826 Kreutzer taught at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he became co-author of the Conservatoire's Violin method with Pierre Rode and Pierre Baillot. He was also leader of the Paris Opera for a time.

This volume contains Kreutzer's 42 Études, which are, to this day, considered fundamental studies for student Violinists.