capriccio

American  

[kuh-pree-chee-oh, kah-preet-chaw] / kəˈpri tʃiˌoʊ, kɑˈprit tʃɔ /

noun

capriccios, plural capricci plural

1. Music. a composition in a free, irregular style.

2. a caper; prank.

3. a whim; caprice.

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capriccio British  

/ kəˈprɪtʃɪˌəʊ /

noun

1. music a lively piece composed freely and without adhering to the rules for any specific musical form

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• capriccios
  plural
• capricci
  plural

Etymology

Origin of capriccio

First recorded in 1595–1605; Italian “sudden startle,” possibly from capra “nanny goat” or capro “billy goat” (as of the skipping of a kid or goat), from Vulgar Latin capriceus “goat” (unattested); possibly from capo capo ² ( def. ) and riccio (adjective) “curly,” (noun) “hedgehog” ( see arriccio ( def. ))

Example Sentences

Finally, Conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos appeared and gave the downbeat, and the perplexed audience settled down to the first U.S. performance of Ferruccio Busoni's "theatrical capriccio," Harlequin.

From Time Magazine Archive

She did not go so far as to wish herself a sharer in the sentiment, but she thought it heroism on her part to repress the capriccio, as the Italians say.

From Beatrix by Wormeley, Katharine Prescott

His capriccio on the departure of a friend, with its differently labelled parts, comes distinctly under the above denomination.

From Masters of French Music by Hervey, Arthur

He trembled lest he should have been the plaything of a whim, for he had heard what a capriccio might mean in an Italian.

From Albert Savarus by Marriage, Ellen

I had in mind the definition of a capriccio given by Praetorius, the celebrated musical authority of the eighteenth century.

From An Autobiography by Stravinsky, Igor