One of Saint-Saëns' mature works, these etudes appeared in 1877 around the same time as his opera Samson et Dalila. The second etude of the cycle was originally written in 1868 for the École du pianiste, the French edition of the piano method by Lebert and Stark. With his collection, the composer - who had embarked on a compilation of piano etudes for the first time - evidently wanted to deliberately distinguish the cycle from the character of the brilliant concert etude: each of the etudes is devoted to one or more specific difficulties or compositional techniques, as in the fugues. He assigned the individual pieces to famous virtuosos of his time, such as Anton or Nikolai Rubinstein or Marie Jaëll.

These Urtext editions are based on the groundbreaking musical text of the Œuvres instrumentales complètes by Camille Saint-Saëns, for which the editor has meticulously evaluated all known sources. A detailed Foreword provides information on the genesis and significance of the etudes. Readings and variants are precisely documented in the Critical Commentary (in English). Notes on interpretation in French, English, and German as well as an elegant music engraving provide the pianist with optimal conditions for studying these virtuosic etudes.