Johann Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813) was a brilliant violinist, pianist and composer and enjoyed an excellent reputation as a composer and educationalist. Most of his piano pieces, sonatas and sonatinas were written for educational purposes for piano pupils and music lovers. Because of their catchy folk tunes and rather easy technical demands, they remain popular to this day. The cycle of the little easy sonatinas from the pre-classical era is perfectly suitable as a preparation for and introduction to more demanding classical piano music.