Henry Schradieck chose the modest designation “studies” for his exercises. Their musical substance, however, goes far beyond that ofa study. They are character pieces which get their captivating musical expression particularly from the harmonic progression and expressive melodic lines while the rhythm remains relatively consistent to maximize the effect of practising. The pieces are basically caprices (capriccios) which disregard formal rules in an imaginative and playful manner.
Like the famous 24 Études Caprices by Jean Delphin Alard, the studies cover all major and minor scales of the circle of fifths. In addition to the original fingerings, this edition also contains alternative fingering variants which include both playing in the second position and modern change-of-position techniques like creeping and pivoting.
Each study is preceded by short explanations of the editor Benjamin Bergmann concerning the contents and objectives of each study aswell as by practical technical information on the performance. This edition is published in the Essential Exercises study series which contains proven practical study works for instrumentallessons. |
