The first signs of a revival in Italian music at the beginning of the twentieth century are mostly found in the important contributions of a generation of musicians mostly born in the 19th century: Francesco Cilea, Goffredo Petrassi and Franco Alfano.

Thanks to them, the music scene in Italy began to widen its horizons, which basically meant going beyond the "exclusive cultivation of melodramatic opera and encouraging an awareness of symphonic music in the country."

This anthology provides a meaningful overview of the music for Violin and Piano written by these composers, the founders of the movement, and also by those they inspired. The pieces have been selected for their musical value, their didactic usefulness and their ability to represent a particular period in the history of Italian music and culture.