David Kraus: The Listening Room
Caprice
David Kraus ~ classical guitarReturn to Tunes
A capriccio or caprice, 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. Used from the Baroque era, particularly Bach, it remained a vehicle for composing and playing through the 19th century. The famous violinist Niccolo Paganini wrote his incredible "Twenty-four Caprices" in the mid-nineteenth century, have been transcribed for classical guitar, and are technically some of the most difficult and challenging pieces to perform, as is so much of his music. Many composers during the "Romantic" era of art, wrote caprices including Beethoven, Chopin, and Liszt, and guitarists such as Napoleon Coste, Ferdinando Carulli, and Matteo Carcassi, whose "Caprice in Dminor" is the one heard here. It is short and simple, but has a liveliness and musical energy that comes across well. I have improvised a rubato or free form intro on to it before the main body of the tune. I think it sets up the the tune in a way that leads naturally into the main chord movement which moves quickly in time, or atempo allegro. I usually keep playing after the ending heard here, improvising variations through the chordal structure, and even stopping to improvise freely in a rubato fashion similar to the improvised introduction. I love improvising in this way and love the intensity of Spanish music played in minor keys. As with all of the pieces in this section called "Chronicles" of my website, this Carcassi caprice is heard here as a sample, and so is not played extensively the way I would perform it in a live situation. I have even played this as a wedding march though it is not traditional and lends a unique coloring to a ceremony. Enjoy.Return to Chronicles
