In California for two weeks on grandparent duty I've been listening to Paganini, particularly a duet a friend and I have been practicing as guitar duet though the original composition was for violin and guitar. The violin part (Paganini's own) is full of fireworks but its guitar accompaniment is quite elementary; it was meant for a student. Well, she was more than a student, as the title--Duetto Amoroso--makes clear. Just in case you still harbor any doubts, the composer also labeled each of the movements: "Timidity," "Entreaty," "Consent" and so forth. To my mind, the titles sound a lot more suggestive in the original Italian; still, they are nothing compared to the music which is knock-down sensuous.

Now I wonder about my friend's motives in picking this composition for us to work on. Did he want me to fall in love with him? Recently we presented the first our movement at the Guitar Society to welcome applause.

You can find the violin/guitar version on YouTube, played by an Italian duo, uploaded a couple of years ago.