The work of Nikos Skalkottas cannot be fully and deeply understood without considering the musical events of the first half of the 20th century, particularly the movements of Expressionism and Neoclassicism.

This book aims to provide a historical and musicological context for his work, initially in a condensed and concise form, within the framework of the music of composers from the so-called Second Viennese School. Following this, the Expressionist and Neoclassical tendencies are explored through a comparison of two specific chamber music works, namely the Sonatina for violin and piano No. 4 (1935) and the Sonatina for cello and piano (1949).

An effort is made to clarify all those compositional techniques that characterize his overall body of work and through which his musical genius is highlighted. The case of Nikos Skalkottas, as much as it may sound exaggerated, is unique in the music of the first half of the 20th century, as he was the only composer who expressed himself simultaneously and always with the same success tonally, atonally, and twelve-tone, while also being one of the few who dared to revive classical musical forms, using atonality and twelve-tone techniques as basic material, in a way that is vibrant and contemporary, avoiding academicism and clichéd solutions.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]