William Shield's early career as a violinist and violist took him to the centre of musical life in London, where he became principal violinist of the Covent Garden theatre orchestra in 1773. The publication of the Violin Duets later that decade marked the launch of Shield's success as a hugely popular composer. Each set of duets is neatly engineered, with many attractive details in the Italianate spirit of Op. 1. The Op. 2 set is more compact, developing arioso vocal styles, clever changes of texture, and folk elements such as hurdy-gurdy-like figurations.
