Capriccio

A capriccio is a short, free-form virtuoso piece, whimsical in character and built to display a performer's technique. The form is defined by the 24 Caprices, Op. 1 of *Niccolò Paganini*, each isolating a violin technique, and by later caprices for piano and orchestra by composers such as *Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky*.