Robert Schumann was fascinated by the violin virtuoso Nicolò Paganini, as were many composers of the time. When he was planning a piano tutor in 1832/33 that was to include his own works as well as those by others, Schumann took a close look at Paganini’s virtuosic Caprices for violin. Schumann’s own Caprices op. 3 were composed in this spirit, based very closely on Paganini’s original and following their educational intention.

Opus 10, on the other hand, deals more freely with the model and...