Twenty-four Caprices for Solo Violin

Paul Osterfield composed "Twenty-four Caprices for Solo Violin" as a set of flashy showpieces, each displaying various virtuosic techniques, such as upbow staccato, quarter tones, complex two-part counterpoint, chords and arpeggios, playing on a single string, fast pizzicato, harmonics, etc. In one caprice, every note is the same pitch, allowing the performer and audience to focus on other musical parameters; in another, the violinist uses a wooden chopstick to strike the strings instead of using a bow. Twenty-four Caprices for Solo Violin is written for Peter Sheppard Skaerved's Caprices Project, in which many different composers have written caprices for him to perform. An inspiration for this project is the virtuosic caprices of Niccolo Paganini, and Osterfield's caprices are along that vein. The final caprice is a chaccone, drawing inspiration also from the solo string works of Bach, which have been an influence for Osterfield since his early studies as a cellist.