CAPRICCIO (score & parts)

Whilst he was working in the USA in 1932 Holst was introduced to Nathaniel (‘Nat’) Shilkret – a celebrated American musician, composer and musical director. Shilkret commissioned Holst to write a short piece based on folk music themes for his jazz band to play in a radio series. Holst hurriedly wrote a piece – which he referred to as his ‘Jazz band piece’ or ‘Mr Shilkret’s Maggot’ – but he wasn’t confident that Shilkret would like it. Holst said, “Shilkret wanted something on American airs, but I’ve left them out because I prefer my own so he may reject the thing.” Reject it he did, but only because it didn’t meet the set brief. He even tried to coax Holst into writing something folk-based with an additional fee – suggesting Three Blind Mice as the source material. However, Holst declined, perhaps because he was just too busy in the remaining two years of his life as his health declined.

Whilst it was never performed during his lifetime, Holst’s hastily written manuscript survived and, in the late 1960s, Holst’s daughter, Imogen, re-edited the piece as an orchestral work, and gave it a new title: Capriccio.

Despite Holst’s working title for the piece it is definitely not ‘jazz’. And, whilst it is not based on existing English or American folk tunes, it does open with a lovely, lyrical folk-tune-inspired melody. That melody reappears several times, between which the mood livens with upbeat, catchy themes.

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