Caprice in A Minor

One of my hardest ever charts to make and to play woweee

Directions: Tempo di saltarella, ma non troppo vivo (Saltarella tempo, lively but not too much)

Analysis:

This etude-caprice and the others in its set are not traditionally what one would assume to be duets. In fact, Wieniawski composed these as violin pieces with the accompaniment of a second violin. The term "accompaniment" is used loosely, as despite the first and second violins' parts being parts of a duet, they can be entirely isolated from one another and still be musically sound.

No.4, which this chart quotes, is a saltarello. The name is derived from the eponymous dance step, a poised hop on the initial or final beat. In this case, it is the former (note the short hold which opens the chart). The second violin carries the melody and plays a harmonising role while the first violin plays highly technical but smooth runs.