Legnani was a virtuoso composer, arranger,
violinist, guitarist, and opera singer, mostly known for his duets
with Paganini. The music is of very high quality, and is beginning
to be performed with greater frequency in concert programs.
Legnani did not write easy music for
beginners. The Etudes are challenging pieces, very advanced, and
designed to one-up the Paganini violin etudes, which are commonly
performed in concert programs by virtuoso concert artists today.
Given the difficulty level of many of Legnani's concert pieces, he
must have been an amazing performer of remarkable ability. Legnani
gave two guitar recitals at La Scala and was considered by one
critic a more convincing player than Giuliani - no small feat.
Written accounts of Legnani from Vienna indicate that even in a
city accustomed to such virtuosos as Giuliani, Legnani dazzled his
audiences. Today, selected pieces by Legnani are often chosen by
performing concert artists to showcase their ability and dazzle
audiences. That said, not all his music is impossible to play,
though much of it requires the technique of Eliot Fisk and is
certainly beyond of most amateurs. Several pieces are accessible,
with effort and practice, to advanced amateur players. Other
pieces are beyond the ability of most intermediate players. A nice
set of 3 pieces with intermediate technique requirements is the
"Tre Balli Nazionali" or "3 National Dances". Even though many
pieces may be difficult, they are high quality compositions and
well worth the effort to study. They are not difficult just for
the sake of being difficult, but rather, because the composer held
high standards for the guitar and demanded the execution and skill
of a classically trained violinist or pianist
Most of Legnani's music is out of print or
very hard to find. Unfortunately, only the 36 Caprices are widely
available; although musically superb, these pieces were technical
etudes - too challenging for most players. Most of Legnani's other
music is superb, and should be given a closer look.