Repast Baroque Ensemble: Capriccio Stravagante

Capriccio Stravagante was the title of a wild piece of music written in Dresden in 1627 by the Italian violinist composer Carlo Farina. It is written for 4 parts and portrays the sounds of a cat, a military drum, a dog, Spanish guitar, a hen, etc. and pushes the limits of violin technique of the time by requiring slides, plucks, playing two strings at once, and using the wood of the bow for special effects.