Capriccio (music)
Encyclopedia
A capriccio or caprice (sometimes plural: caprices, capri or, in Italian, capricci), is a piece of music
, usually fairly free in form and of a lively character. The typical capriccio is one that is fast, intense, and often virtuosic
in nature.
The term has been applied in disparate ways, covering works using many different procedures and forms, as well as a wide variety of vocal and instrumental forces. The earliest occurrence of the term was in 1561, by Jacquet de Berchem and applied to a set of madrigals
. In the late 16th and early 17th centuries it could refer to madrigals, music intended alternatively for voices or instruments, or for strictly instrumental pieces, especially keyboard compositions (Schwandt 2001). In the Baroque
era it was often used for short keyboard
pieces (for example, by Girolamo Frescobaldi
, and J.S. Bach
concluded his C minor keyboard Partita
BWV 826 with a Capriccio which, despite its title, is a densely contrapuntal piece carefully and methodically exploiting its lively, almost humorous, subject
). Niccolò Paganini
used it for a set of twenty-four virtuoso solo violin works, Luigi Legnani
used it for a set of thirty-six virtuoso solo guitar works, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
used it for orchestra
l works (the Capriccio Italien
and Capriccio espagnol
respectively). Johannes Brahms
wrote many capricci for piano during the later years of his life, all of which are considered to be among the most unusual and thoughtful pieces of the late Romantic music
era. Camille Saint-Saëns
wrote an Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
for violin and orchestra, the solo violin part of which contains concerto-like virtuoso writing.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, usually fairly free in form and of a lively character. The typical capriccio is one that is fast, intense, and often virtuosic
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
in nature.
The term has been applied in disparate ways, covering works using many different procedures and forms, as well as a wide variety of vocal and instrumental forces. The earliest occurrence of the term was in 1561, by Jacquet de Berchem and applied to a set of madrigals
Madrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
. In the late 16th and early 17th centuries it could refer to madrigals, music intended alternatively for voices or instruments, or for strictly instrumental pieces, especially keyboard compositions (Schwandt 2001). In the Baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
era it was often used for short keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
pieces (for example, by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Girolamo Frescobaldi
Girolamo Frescobaldi was a musician from Ferrara, one of the most important composers of keyboard music in the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. A child prodigy, Frescobaldi studied under Luzzasco Luzzaschi in Ferrara, but was influenced by a large number of composers, including Ascanio...
, and J.S. Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
concluded his C minor keyboard Partita
Partitas for keyboard (825–830)
The Partitas, BWV 825–830, are a set of six keyboard suites written by Johann Sebastian Bach, published from 1726 to 1730 as Clavier-Übung I, and the first of his works to be published under his direction...
BWV 826 with a Capriccio which, despite its title, is a densely contrapuntal piece carefully and methodically exploiting its lively, almost humorous, subject
Subject
-Philosophy:*Hypokeimenon or subiectum, in metaphysics, the essential being of a thing**Subject , a being that has subjective experiences, subjective consciousness, or a relationship with another entity...
). Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique...
used it for a set of twenty-four virtuoso solo violin works, Luigi Legnani
Luigi Legnani
Luigi Rinaldo Legnani was an Italian guitarist, singer, composer and luthier.He is not to be confused with the sculptor Luigi Legnani .....
used it for a set of thirty-six virtuoso solo guitar works, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
used it for orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l works (the Capriccio Italien
Capriccio Italien
The Capriccio Italien, Op. 45, is a fantasy for orchestra composed between January and May of 1880 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.The Capriccio was inspired by a trip Tchaikovsky took to Rome, during which he saw the Carnival in full swing, and is reminiscent of Italian folk music and street songs...
and Capriccio espagnol
Capriccio espagnol
Capriccio espagnol, Op. 34, is the common Western title for an orchestral work based on Spanish folk melodies and written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1887. Rimsky-Korsakov originally intended to write the work for a solo violin with orchestra, but later decided that a purely orchestral work...
respectively). Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
wrote many capricci for piano during the later years of his life, all of which are considered to be among the most unusual and thoughtful pieces of the late Romantic music
Romantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
era. Camille Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
wrote an Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
Introduction and Rondo capriccioso (Saint-Saëns)
The Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor , Op. 28, is a composition for violin and orchestra written in 1863 by Camille Saint-Saëns for the virtuoso violinist Pablo de Sarasate...
for violin and orchestra, the solo violin part of which contains concerto-like virtuoso writing.