Jean-Féry Rebel (1666–1747), violinist and composer, was one of the precursors of the French school of violin playing. He is the archetype of the 18th-century virtuoso-composer, whose work reflects his activity as a performer. He was among the first in France, around 1695, to compose sonatas, which, like Couperin, he did not publish until years later.

In 1705, he published this first book of Pièces pour le violon avec la basse continue, an important milestone in the development of the French violin sonata: classical in their dance suite form, but particularly innovative in their playing styles.

Movable type and French clefs (G-clef on the first line, and various C-clefs in the Dessus part) often make certain complex elements of the violin writing difficult to read; as a result, the score is difficult to decipher. This modern edition, which also includes separate parts for violin and basso continuo, and a realisation of the latter, makes these works easier to read and perform.