Russian composer, César Cui (1835-1918) was a member of 'The Five', a group of Russian composers dedicated to the production of a specifically Russian type of music. His 1916 composition for Flute and Piano, Scherzetto, also incorporates Russian characteristics.

Cui composed for all genres, however, his style was often compared to Robert Schumann or Charles Gounod, rather than his Russian contemporaries, such as Mikhali Glinka. Whilst retaining nationalistic characteristics, Scherzetto makes use of a variety of musical features, including differing articulation, chromaticism, wide leaps and scalic passages. For all intermediate flautists, Cui's Scherzetto provides an exciting, chirpy and varied addition to the repertoire.