I am fortunate that this piece no longer needs an introduction - a fact that leaves me with little to write now. At the risk of repeating myself, I would like to point out that itis the archetype of those pieces that seem easy but in fact are quite difficult. It is important to take it lightly, almost as a joke. And I could add that for a joke to work,there should be a hint of malice, of pleasure and brevity. Oh, and I nearly forgot: you have to have a very solid technique to bring it off. Not for ""serious"" musicians. (R.D.)