Elgar La Capricieuse Op. 17 for Solo Violin and String Orchestra

Elgar: La Capricieuse Op. 17 for Solo Violin and String Orchestra

La Capricieuse is the kind of Elgar that surprises people who know him mainly from the Enigma Variations and the big orchestral works. Written in 1891 for violin and piano, it's light, witty, and deliberately capricious: a piece that lives in the moment rather than building towards anything grand. This arrangement sets it for string orchestra, expanding the piano accompaniment while keeping the solo violin's quicksilver character at the centre.

At Diploma or Professional level, the piece is a genuine technical workout, and the up-bow staccato is where it all hangs together. This is a stroke where multiple short notes are played on a single up-bow, and the piece demands that it's clean, even, and light rather than laboured. Getting the right balance of bow speed, arm weight, and wrist flexibility takes time to develop, and there is nowhere to approximate it in writing this exposed and this fast. The rest of the solo part asks for nimble left-hand articulation and the ability to keep everything sounding spontaneous and unforced throughout.

At three to four minutes, it's the right length for an encore or a short concert item. The capricious character and the snap of the staccato passages tend to get an immediate response from an audience.

See and hear the difference

Check the score and parts preview images above, then watch the complete score video below. They'll give you a clear picture of the engraving quality and overall difficulty before you buy.

Key features

• Instrumentation: Solo Violin + String Orchestra (Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Double Bass)
• Original: La Capricieuse Op. 17 (1891), originally for violin and piano
• Difficulty: Diploma / Professional
• Duration: approximately 3–4 minutes
• Style focus: up-bow staccato, left-hand articulation, light and controlled bow technique
• Format: PDF download, full score and all parts

Who it's for

This suits professional and conservatoire recitals where a technically confident, characterful encore piece is needed, and it works well in programmes where something lighter and more playful is wanted alongside more serious repertoire. It's also a practical choice for violin workshops where up-bow staccato needs to be developed in a real musical context rather than just in exercises.