Schetky (1737-1824) was a cellist himself. He played the cello in the Darmstadt Court Orchestra and gave concerts as a freelance cellist in Germany and London. In 1774 he became principal cellist of the Edinburgh Musical Society and married the daughter of the Austrian cellist Joseph Reinagle (1762-1836). These upper intermediate level cello duets were composed in London as teaching pieces, first published in 1780.