Description

Debussy had originally planned the work as part of the Suite bergamasque (HN 381), but then published it separately in October 1904. He was so taken with the brilliance and inventiveness of the piece that he commented on it enthusiastically in letters to his publisher Durand. In one October 1904 letter, he wrote: "How difficult it is to play. This piece seems to me to combine every way of attacking the instrument because it unites force and grace." Following its premiere performance by the renowned Catalonian virtuoso Ricardo Viñes, the work quickly became a success with the public.