Wieniawski Etudes-Caprices op 18

The Op. 18 ''Etudes-caprices'' for violin accompanied by second violin
were written in St Petersburg before 1863, as didactic material.
Henryk Wieniawski taught violin in the city for twelwe years, initilly
as court soloist to the Tsar and subsequently (from 1862) at the St
Petersburg Conservatory. In character, the Op. 18 Etiudes lie
somewhere between purely didactic compositions and concert works.
Whilst the chief purpose of this collection is the improvement of
violin technique, its artistic qualities are indisputable. They are
written in such a way that they may be played without the second
violin part. (from the Introduction)