Henryk Wieniawski

Henryk Wieniawski (10 July 1835 – 31 March 1880) was a Polish virtuoso violinist, composer and pedagogue who is regarded amongst the greatest violinists in history. Henryk Wieniawski was considered a violinist of great ability and wrote some very important works in the violin repertoire, including two technically demanding violin concertos, the second of which (in D minor, 1862) is more often performed than the first (in F-sharp minor, 1853). His L'École moderne: 10 Études-caprices is a very well known work for aspiring violinists, being the oldest set of etudes still performed which exceed the difficulty of the Paganini Caprices. His Polonaise Brillante, Op. 4, Scherzo-Tarantelle, Op. 16 and Légende, Op. 17 are also frequently performed works. He also wrote several mazurkas for violin with the piano accompaniment (including the popular Obertass in G major), using techniques such as left-hand pizzicato, harmonics, large leaps, and double stops.