Ihor Shamo was born in Kyiv on the 21st of February, 1925. He studied composition in the National Conservatoire in Kyiv, with Borys Lyatoshynsky, and became a member of the National Union of Ukrainian Composers in 1948. In the 50s he was invited to come and live in Moscow but he declined because he was too attached to Kyiv.

Ihor Shamo remained faithful to his style throughout his life. He never wanted to become a modernist, and used to write in a simple and accessible manner. His favourite composer was J. S. Bach. In his piano works he uses a seemingly classical langage, but in which the accompaniments and counter melodies are always narrative. He makes use of the possibilities of resonance. The harmony is based on classical and popular modes. It is often enriched by chromaticism or jazz chords. Folkloric elements are also present. However, his harmony and polyphony are extremely refined. Everything is inspired and natural. In his way of using popular melodies to enrich his style, he has precedents in composers such as Piotr Tchaikovsky or Béla Bartók.

The 12 preludes constitute the most imposing cycle of Ihor Shamo, both in terms of its duration, its richness and its expressiveness. The order follows the circle of fifths, in the manner of Chopin, Scriabin or Shostakovich. It is surprising that the cycle stops in the middle, only addressing the first twelve tones, as if the other twelve would follow... However, even if the 1964 edition is described as the "first notebook", 'After the testimonies of Tamara Shamo and Yevhen Stankovytch, Ihor Shamo had not planned to complete it.