The Capriccio Diabolico is Castelnuovo-Tedesco's thrilling homage to Niccolò Paganini — a virtuoso showpiece that evokes the legend of the violinist who supposedly sold his soul to the devil for his supernatural technique. Written in September 1935 in just five days and dedicated to Andrés Segovia, it became one of the great virtuoso vehicles of the classical guitar.
Paganini and the Guitar
The word diabolico is a deliberate echo of the Paganini myth: throughout his lifetime, Paganini was rumoured to have made a pact with the devil in exchange for his extraordinary gifts, a story he cultivated with theatrical relish. Castelnuovo-Tedesco channels this mythology directly. The tarantella rhythm that drives much of the piece carries its own association with frenzy and possession in Italian folk culture; the title Capriccio deliberately echoes Paganini's 24 Caprices for solo violin, placing the guitar work in that same tradition of near-impossible virtuosity.
Paganini was himself an accomplished guitarist and wrote a Grand Sonata for guitar and violin. Castelnuovo-Tedesco quotes from this Sonata after the tremolo section of the piece. At the close, the famous melody of La Campanella — the rondo finale of Paganini's Second Violin Concerto — brings the work to its dazzling conclusion.
The Work
The Capriccio moves in one continuous arc from a brooding opening to a brilliant close. After an introduction of sweeping figurations over deep octave basses — immediately suggesting Paganini's spirit — a fast, rhythmically driven Vivace e rítmico section follows, technically the most demanding passage in the piece. A lyrical contrast arrives in the Andantino grazioso, a quasi-Minuetto of staccato delicacy and quieter temperament, before the music gathers again into sustained tremolo writing, rapid scales and double-stop passages, and a march-like coda that builds to the La Campanella quotation at the end.
The work is in D minor and lasts approximately ten minutes — long enough to make serious demands on both technique and stamina, and dramatic enough to hold an audience from first note to last. It is one of the most frequently programmed virtuoso pieces in the classical guitar repertoire.
Performed at Siccas Guitars
Playing it
The Capriccio asks for everything at once: the stamina to sustain ten minutes of demanding writing, the technical command to execute rapid runs and double-stops cleanly, and the musical intelligence to shape the lyrical Andantino with genuine warmth. The tremolo section requires both smoothness and projection; the closing La Campanella pages demand a secure, ringing high register. It is a true test piece — one that rewards years of preparation and never loses its power to excite an audience.
See the full Castelnuovo-Tedesco guide and the companion work Sonata (Omaggio a Boccherini). Explore our classical guitar collection.
